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131  672 


THE  CURIOUS  LORE 
OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF 


IOUS 


STONSS 


Being  A  Description  of  Their  Sentiments  and  Folk 
Lore,  Superstitions,  Symbolism,  Mysticism,  Use 
in  Medicine,  Protection,  Prevention,  Reli- 
gion, and  Divination,  Crystal  Gazing, 
Birthstones,   Lucky   Stones   and 
Talismans,  Astral,  Zodical, 
and  Planetary 


BY 

GEORGE  FREDERICK  J^UNZ 

A.M.,    PH.D.,    D.SC. 

WITH    86    ILLUSTRATIONS    IN    COLOR,    DOUBLETONE   AND   LINE 


HALCYON    HOUSE    :    NEW   YORK 


COPYRIGHT,     1913,    BV    J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT    COMPANY 


First  Printing,         November,   1913 
Second    Printing,    May,   1915 
April,   1917 
March,  1922 
December,  1926 
December,  1930 


Third  Printing, 
Fourth  Printing, 
Fifth  Printing, 
Sixth  Printing, 


HALCYON    HOUSE  EDITION,    APRIL, 

Seventh  Printing,  April,  1938 


HALCYON  HOUSE  editions  are  published  and 

distributed  by  Blue  Ribbon  Books ,  Inc., 

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PRINTED     AND     BOUND     BY     THE     CORNWALL     PRESS,     INC*,     FOR 
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Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


\VITH  HEARTFELT  APPRECIATION1  OF  THE  NOBLE  SPIRIT  THAT  CON- 
CEIVED AND  FOUNDED  THE  MORGAN-TIFFANY  COLLECTION  OF  GEMS 
AND  THE  MORGAN-BEMENT  COLLECTIONS  OP  MINERALS  AND  METEOR* 
ITES  OF  THE  AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OP  NATURAL  HISTORY,  AND  THE 
MORGAN  COLLECTION  OP  THE  MUSEB  D'HISTOIRE  NATURELLE  OF 
PARIS,  AND  WHOSE  KINDLY  ADVICE  AND  ENCOURAGEMENT  HAVE 
DONE  SO  MUCH  FOR  THE  PRECIOUS  STONE  ART,  THIS  VOLUME 
IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  THE  LATE 

J.  PIERPONT  MORGAN 


Ikefate 


love  of  precious  stones  is  deeply  implanted  in 
the  human  heart,  and  the  cause  of  this  must  be 
sought  not  only  in  their  coloring  and  brilliancy  but  also 
in  their  durability.  All  the  fair  colors  of  flowers  and 
foliage,  and  even  the  blue  of  the  sky  and  the  glory  of  the 
sunset  clouds,  only  last  for  a  short  time,  and  are  subject 
to  continual  change,  but  the  sheen  and  coloration  of 
precious  stones  are  the  same  to-day  as  they  were  thou- 
sands of  years  ago  and  will  be  for  thousands  of  years 
to  come.  In  a  world  of  change,  this  permanence  has  a 
charm  of  its  own  that  was  early  appreciated. 

The  object  of  this  book  is  to  indicate  and  illustrate 
the  various  ways  in  which  precious  stones  have  been 
used  at  different  times  and  among  different  peoples,  and 
more  especially  to  explain  some  of  the  curious  ideas  and 
fancies  that  have  gathered  around  them.  Many  of  these 
ideas  may  seem  strange  enough  to  us  now,  and  yet  when 
we  analyze  them  we  find  that  they  have  their  roots  either 
in  some  intrinsic  quality  of  the  stones  or  else  in  an  in- 
stinctive appreciation  of  their  symbolical  significance. 
Through  manifold  transformations  this  symbolism  has 
persisted  to  the  present  day. 

The  same  thing  may  be  said  in  regard  to  the  various 
superstitions  connected  with  gems.  Our  scientific  knowl- 
edge of  cause  and  effect  may  prevent  us  from  accepting 
any  of  the  fanciful  notions  of  the  physicians  and  as- 
trologers of  the  olden  time;  nevertheless,  the  possession 
of  a  necklace  or  a  ring  adorned  with  brilliant  diamonds, 
fair  pearls,  warm,  glowing  rubies,  or  celestial-hued 
sapphires  will  to-day  make  a  woman's  heart  beat  faster 


vi  PREFACE 

and  bring  a  blush  of  pleasure  to  her  cheek.  Life  will 
seem  better  worth  living  to  her;  and,  indeed,  this  is  no 
delusion,  for  life  is  what  our  thought  makes  it,  and  joy 
is  born  of  gratified  desire.  Hence  nothing  that  con- 
tributes to  increasing  the  sum  of  innocent  pleasures 
should  be  disdained ;  and  surely  no  pleasure  can  be  more 
innocent  and  justifiable  than  that  inspired  by  the  posses- 
sion of  beautiful  natural  objects. 

The  author,  who  possesses  what  is  believed  to  be  the 
most  comprehensive  private  library  on  this  subject,  has 
obtained  many  references  from  material  which  he  has 
been  gathering  during  the  past  twenty-five  years.    Many 
of  the  types  exist  in  the  collection  of  folk-lore  precious 
stones  exhibited  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in 
1893,  and  now  in  the  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 
in  Chicago.    Other  types  are  drawn  from  the  Morgan  Col- 
lection exhibited  at  the  Paris  Expositions  of  1889  and 
1900,  which,  with  additions,  is  now  in  Morgan  Hall,  in  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York  City. 
Other  prominent  references  are  the  collection  of  pre- 
cious   stones    in    the    California    Midwinter    Memorial 
Museum,   in   Golden    Gate  Park,   San   Francisco;   the 
Tiffany  collection  of  precious  stones,  exhibited  at  the 
Atlanta  Exposition  of  1894,  now  in  the  National  Museum 
in  Washington;   the   collection   exhibited   at  the  Pan- 
American    Exposition,    and   presented    to    the    Musee 
d'Histoire  Naturelle,  in  Paris,  by  the  late  J.  Pierpont 
Morgan;  the  collection  exhibited  at  the  exposition  held 
in  Portland,  Oregon,  in  1905 ;  and  the  collection  of  gems 
and  precious  stones  exhibited"  at  the  Jamestown  Ex- 
position, 1907.    All  of  these  collections,  either  entirely 
or  very  largely,  have  been  formed  by  the  author. 

Some  references  to  sentiment  connected  with  precious 
stones  are  embodied  in  the  little  work,  now  in  its  21st 


PREFACE  vii 

edition,  entitled!  " Natal  Stones,  Sentiments  and  Super- 
stitions Associated  with  Precious  Stones,'7  compiled  by 
the  writer,  who  has  examined  nearly  all  the  principal  col- 
lections in  the  United  States,  Europe,  Mexico,  Canada,  and 
Asiatic  Russia. 

For  courtesies,  information  and  illustrations,  I  am  in- 
debted to  the  following,  to  whom  my  thanks  are  due: 

Prof.  Taw  Sein  Ko,  Superintendent  of  the  Archaeo- 
logical Survey,  of  Burma;  Dr.  T.  Wada,  of  Tokyo,  Japan; 
Dr.  G.  0.  Clerc,  President  of  the  Societe  Ouralienne  des 
Amis  des  Sciences  Naturelles,  Ekaterinebourg,  Russia; 
Dr.  Charles  Braddock,  late  Medical  Inspector  to  the  King 
of  Siam ;  Sir  Charles  Hercules  Reed,  Curator  of  Archae- 
ology, and  Dr.  Ernest  A.  Wallis  Budge,  Egyptologist, 
British  Museum,  London;  A.  W.  Feavearyear,  Esq.,  Lon- 
don ;  Dr.  Salomon  Reinach,  Director  of  the  Archaeological 
Museum  of  St.  Germain-en-Laye,  France ;  Prof.  Giuseppe 
Belucci,  of  the  University  of  Perugia;  Dr.  Peter  Jessen, 
Librarian  of  the  Kunstgewerbe  Museum,  of  Berlin ;  Miss 
Belle  DaCosta  Green;  Dr.  Frederick  Hirth,  Chinese  Pro- 
fessor, Columbia  University,  New  York;  Dr.  Clark 
"Wissler,  Curator  of  Archaeology,  Dr.  L.  P.  Gratacap, 
Curator  of  Mineralogy,  American  Museum  of  Natural 
History;  Dr.  Berthold  Laufer,  Oriental  Archaeologist, 
and  Dr.  Oliver  C.  Farrington,  Curator  of  Geology  and 
Mineralogy,  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Chicago; 
Hereward  Carrington,  Esq.,  Psychist,  New  York;  Dr.  W. 
Hayes  Ward,  Archaeologist  and  Babylonian  Scholar;  Mrs. 
Henry  Draper,  New  York;  H.  W.  Kent,  Esq.,  Metro- 
politan Museum  of  Art,  New  York  City;  Consul  General 
Moser,  Colombo,  Ceylon;  W.  W.  Blake,  Mexico  City,  who 
has  done  so  much  to  encourage  Mexican  archaeological 
investigation;  the  late  A.  Damour,  of  Paris,  the  great 
pioneer  of  mineralogical  archaeology;  the  late  Dr.  A.  B. 


viii  PREFACE 

Meyer,  of  Dresden,  who,  more  than  anyone  else,  proved 
that  the  Nephritfrage  or  the  jade  question  was  to  be 
solved  by  chemical  and  mineralogical  investigation;  the 
late  Rajah  Sir  Sourindro  Mohan  Tagore,  of  Calcutta; 
and  Dr.  A.  M.  Lythgoe,  Egyptologist,  Metropolitan 
Museum  of  Art. 

G.  F.  K. 
SEPTEMBER,  1913. 


Contents? 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIR  SOURCES 1 

II.   ON  THE  USB  OF  PRECIOUS  AND  SEMI-PRECIOUS  STONES  AS 

TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS 19 

III.  ON  THE  TALISMANIC  USE  OP  SPECIAL  STONES 51 

IV.  ON  THE  USE  OF  ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS  AS  TALISMANS  115 
V.    ON  OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES 143 

VI.    ON  CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING 176 

VII.    RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES,  PAGAN,  HEBREW,  AND 

CHRISTIAN 225 

VIII.    ON  THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BREASTPLATE 275 

IX.    BIRTH-STONES 307 

X.    PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 338 

XL   ON  THE  THERAPEUTIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  AND  SEMI-PRECIOUS 

STONES 367 


illustration* 

COLOR  PLATES 

PAGB 

PHENOMENAL  GEMS  (GEMS  EXHIBITING   PHENOMENA) Frontispiece. 

MAHARAJA  RUNJIT  SINGH,  WITH  PEARLS  AND  GEMS 40 

CARDINAL  FARLEY'S  RING, — SAPPHIRE  WITH  DIAMONDS 104 

GEMS  FROM  THE  MORGAN-TlFFANY  COLLECTION 106 

SELF-PRINTS  OF  DIAMONDS,  SHOWING  PHOSPHORESCENCE 168 

CROSS,  ATTACHED  AS  PENDANT  TO  THE  CROWN  OF  THE  GOTHIC  KING 

RECCESviNTHTrs  (649-672  A.D.) 292 

DOUBLETONES 

ROCK-CRYSTAL  AMULET  SET  IN  SILVER 16 

ROCK-CRYSTAL  PLACQUE,  ANCIENT  MEXICAN 16 

NECKLACES  FROM  EGYPT.    FIRST  CENTURY 22 

MOSAICS  OF  TURQUOISE  AND  ENAMELLED  CARNELIAN  BEADS 26 

NECKLACES  FROM  EGYPT 32 

AFRICAN  AGATE  CHARMS 50 

AMBER  ORNAMENTS 54 

CHALCEDONY  VOTIVE  CHARM  FROM  MEXICO 60 

CURIOUS  ALTAR  OF  POWALAWA  INDIANS  OF  ARIZONA 60 

KABYLE  JEWELRY 68 

JASPER  PENDANT 92 

PIECE  OF  NATURAL  LOADSTONE  FOR  MEDICINAL  PURPOSES 92 

ARAGONITE  PENDANT 92 

OBSIDIAN  MASK,  FROM  THE  FAYOUM,  EGYPT 100 

TURQUOISE  NECKLACE,  THIBET 112 

PHOENICIAN  SCARAB,  WITH  ENGRAVED  SCORPION 128 

ANCIENT  BABYLONIAN  CYLINDER  IMPRESSION,  BEARING  FIGURES  OF  THE 

GOD  NEBO  AND  A  WORSHIPPER,  AND  SYMBOLS  OF  SUN  AND  MOON.  . .  128 
A  SMALL  JADE  CELT  ENGRAVED  WITH  GNOSTIC  INSCRIPTIONS  IN  THE 

FOURTH  CENTURY 128 

Moss  AGATE  MOCHA  STONES,  HINDOOSTAN 136 

AGATES  USED  AS  VOTIVE  CHARMS  AND  SET  IN  RINGS 152 

ROCK-CRYSTAL  BALL  PENETRATED  BY  CRYSTALS  OF  RUTILE 172 

GLASS  BALL,  PERFORATED  AND  MOUNTED  IN  METAL 180 

BALL  OF  JET,  PERFORATED  AND  MOUNTED  IN  METAL 180 

EYE  AGATE,  SHOWING  A  NUMBER  OF  CIRCULAR  MARKINGS 180 

DB.  DEE'S  SHEW  STONE 188 

xi 


xii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

OBSIDIAN  MIRROR,  WITH  NATIVE  TEXTILE  STRING 188 

BOCK-CRYSTAL  SPHERES  AND  NATURAL  CROSS 196 

BABYLONIAN  CYLINDERS  AND  PERSIAN  BEADS 204 

ROCK-CRYSTAL  SPHERES  WITH  JAPANESE  MOUNTINGS 212 

CRYSTAL  BALL,  SUPPORTED  BY  BRONZE  DRAGON 216 

METHOD  OF  GRINDING  CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  OTHER  HARD  STONE  OBJECTS 

IN  GERMANY  AND  FRANCE 218 

JAPANESE  METHOD  OF  CHIPPING,  GRINDING  AND  POLISHING  ROCK- 
CRYSTAL  BALLS 218 

ROCK-CRYSTAL  SPHERE  WITH  THREE-FIGURE  MOUNTING 220 

"PHANTOM  CRYSTAL"  OF  QUARTZ  (ROCK-CRYSTAL) 228 

ROCK-CRYSTAL  BALLS 228 

AMBER  HEART-SHAPED  AMULET 230 

AN  INSCRIBED  SCARAB  OF  THE  TYPE  KNOWN  AS  A  HEART-SCARAB  ....  230 

BABYLONIAN  AXE  HEAD 232 

MANI  MALA,  OR  CHAIN  OF  GEMS 236 

SCULPTURED  JADE  MOUNTAIN  WEIGHING  640  LBS 244 

VOTIVE  ADZE  OF  JADEITB  FROM  MEXICO 252 

STATUE  OF  A  MAORI  WARRIOR,  BY  SIGURD  NEANDROSS 260 

JADEITE  CELTS 264 

STAUROLITE  CRYSTALS  (FAIRY  STONES) 272 

FRONTISPIECE  OF  THE  "VESTITUS  SACERDOTUM  HEBILEORUM,"  OF 

JOHANN  BRAUN,  AMSTERDAM,  1680 274 

SILVER  CROSS  WITH  QUARTZ  CAT'S~EYE 286 

SPECIMENS  OF  CHIASTOLITE  (LAPIS  CRUCIFER) 286 

FACSIMILE  OF  THE  BETROTHAL  RING  OF  THE  VIRGIN  IN  THE  CATHEDRAL 

OF  PERUGIA 312 

Moss  AGATES 328 

THE  FIGURES  OF  THE  PLANETS  WITH  THEIR  SIGNIFICANT  STONES 330 

THE  ZODIACAL  STONES  WITH  THEIR  SIGNS 342 

NECKLACES  (FIRST  CENTURY,  A.D.,  AND  ANCIENT  PERSIAN) 346 

STATUETTE  KNOWN  AS  THAT  OF  SAINTE  FOY,  IN  THE  ABBEY-CHURCH 

AT  CONQUES,  DEPT.  AVEYRON,  FRANCE 358 

INSCRIPTION  ON  A  SMALL  PIECE  OF  LIMESTONE,  IN  CURSIVE  EGYPTIAN 

WRITING — AN  ANCIENT  PRESCRIPTION 366 

NECKLACES — (1)  CARNELIAN  BEADS;  (2)  ONYX  BEADS 370 

FACSIMILE  PAGE  OF  ITALIAN  VELLUM  MANUSCRIPT  TREATISE  OF  THE 

VIRTUES  OF  GEMS 378 

INITIALS  FROM  THE  LAPIDARIO  DE  ALFONSO  X 390 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xiii 


LINE  CUTS  IN  TEXT 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  THE  FIRST  EDITION  OF  THE  POETICAL  TREATISE  ON 
PRECIOUS  STONES  BY  MARBODUS,  BISHOP  OF  RENNES,  PRINTED 

IN  FRIBURG,  1531 15 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  THE  FIRST  EDITION  OF  THE  GREEK  TREATISE  BY  ST. 
EPIPHANIUS  ON  THE  GEMS  OF  THE  BREASTPLATE,  WITH  A  LATIN  VER- 
SION    16 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  ONE  OF  THE  EARLIEST  TREATISES  ON  PRECIOUS  STONES 

PUBLISHED  IN  ENGLAND 17 

PEARL  DEALER 42 

AN  AIR-SHIP  OF  1709 53 

THE  TREE  THAT  EXUDES  AMBER 56 

A  PRACTICAL  TEST  OF  THE  VIRTUES  OF  THE  BLOODSTONE  TO  PREVENT 

NOSE-BLEED 60 

CARNELIAN  SEAL,  WORN  BY  NAPOLEON  I,  NAPOLEON  III,  AND  THE  PRINCE 

IMPERIAL 64 

SPECIMEN  PAGE  OF  ITALIAN  MANUSCRIPT  OF  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY.  .    77 
OBSIDIAN  MIRROR,   FROM  OAXACA,   MEXICO.     Now  IN  TROCADERO 

MUSEUM,  PARIS 99 

ROCK-CRYSTAL  SKULL,  ANCIENT  MEXICAN 100 

ENGRAVED  HELIOTROPE 124 

ENGRAVED  RED  JASPER 124 

GNOSTIC  GEMS 127 

ANTIQUE  JADE  CELT  CONVERTED  INTO  A  GNOSTIC  TALISMAN 129 

MONOGRAM  OF  THE  NAME  OF  CHRIST  ENGRAVED  ON  AN  ONYX  GEM 136 

Two  GOLD  RINGS  SET  WITH  ENGRAVED  ONYX  GEMS 138 

THE  "ORPHANUS  JEWEL"  IN  THE  GERMAN  IMPERIAL  CROWN 147 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  ROBERT  BOYLE'S  WORK  ON  THE  ORIGIN  AND  VIRTUES 

OF  GEMS 169 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  A  GSOUP  OF  TREATISES  BY  VABIOUS  AUTHORS,  COL- 
LECTED AND  EDITED  BY  CONRAD  GESNER  AT  ZURICH  IN  1565 258 

THE  HEBREW  HIGH-PRIEST  ATTIRED  WITH  HIS  VESTMENTS 279 

THE  BREASTPLATE  UNFOLDED,  I,  II;  EPHOD  WITH  BREASTPLATE  FOLDED 
AND  ATTACHED,  III 281 


xiv  ILLUSTRATIONS 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  THE  EDITION  OP  MARBODUS  ON  PRECIOUS  STONES,  PUB- 
LISHED IN  COLOGNE,  1539 290 

CARNELIAN,  ENGRAVED  WITH  THE  ZODIACAL  SIGNS,  TAURUS,  LEO  AND 
CAPRICORN;  IN  THE  CENTRE  A  SIX-RATED  STAR,  THE  FORM  OF  ONE  OF 
THESE  RATS  DENOTING  A  COMET 322 


Ctmoug  lore  of  Sreciotttf  Atones? 


i 

atrt  l^efr 

JpROM  the  earliest  times  in  man's  history  gems  and 
w  precious  stones  have  been  held  in  great  esteem. 
They  have  been  found  in  the  monuments  of  prehistoric 
peoples,  and  not  alone  the  civilization  of  the  Pharaohs, 
of  the  Incas,  or  of  the  Montezumas  invested  these  bril- 
liant things  from  Nature's  jewel  casket  with  a  signifi- 
cance beyond  the  mere  suggestion  of  their  intrinsic 
properties. 

The  magi,  the  wise  men,  the  seers,  the  astrologers  of 
the  ages  gone  by  found  much  in  the  matter  of  gems  that 
we  have  nearly  come  to  forgetting.  "With  them  each  gem 
possessed  certain  planetary  attractions  peculiar  to  itself, 
certain  affinities  with  the  various  virtues,  and  a  zodiacal 
concordance  with  the  seasons  of  the  year.  Moreover, 
these  early  sages  were  firm  believers  in  the  influence  of 
gems  in  one's  nativity,  —  that  the  evil  in  the  world  could 
be  kept  from  contaminating  a  child  properly  protected 
by  wearing  the  appropriate  talismanic,  natal,  and 
zodiacal  gems.  Indeed,  folklorists  are  wont  to  wonder 
whether  the  custom  of  wearing  gems  in  jewelry  did  not 
originate  in  the  talismanic  idea  instead  of  in  the  idea  of 
mere  additional  adornment. 

The  influence  exerted  by  precious  stones  was  assumed 
in  medieval  times  without  question,  but  when  the  spirit 
of  investigation  was  aroused  in  the  Eenaissance  period, 
an  effort  was  made  to  find  a  reason  of  some  sort  for  the 

1 


2    THE  CUKIOUS  LORE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

traditional  beliefs.  Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  us,  there 
was  little  disposition  to  doubt  that  the  influence  existed ; 
this  was  taken  for  granted,  and  all  the  mental  effort 
expended  was  devoted  to  finding  some  plausible  explana- 
tion  as  to  how  precious  stones  became  endowed  with  their 
strange  and  mystic  virtues,  and  how  these  virtues  acted 
in  modifying  the  character,  health,  or  fortunes  of  the 
wearer. 

When  the  existence  of  miracles  is  acknowledged,  there 
will  always  be  a  tendency  to  regard  every  singular  and 
unaccountable  happening  as  a  miracle;  that  is  to  say, 
as  something  that  occurs  outside  of,  or  in  spite  of,  the 
laws  of  nature.  We  even  observe  this  tendency  at  work 
in  our  own  time.  As  regards  visual  impressions,  for  in- 
stance, if  a  child  of  lively  imagination  enters  a  half- 
lighted  room  and  sees  a  bundle  of  clothes  lying  in  a 
corner,  the  indistinct  outline  of  this  mass  may  be  trans- 
formed to  his  mind  into  the  form  of  a  wild  animal.  The 
child  does  not  really  see  an  animal,  but  his  fear  has  given 
a  definite  outline  and  character  to  the  indefinite  image 
printed  on  the  retina. 

The  writer  has  always  sought  to  investigate  anything 
strange  and  apparently  unaccountable  which  has  been 
brought  to  his  notice,  but  he  can  truly  say  he  has  never 
found  the  slightest  evidence  of  anything  transcending 
the  acknowledged  laws  of  nature.  Still,  when  we  con- 
sider the  marvellous  secrets  that  have  been  revealed  to 
us  by  science  and  the  yet  more  wonderful  things  that 
will  be  revealed  to  us  in  the  future,  we  are  tempted  to 
think  that  there  may  be  something  in  the  old  beliefs, 
some  residuum  of  fact,  susceptible  indeed  of  explana- 
tion, but  very  different  from  what  a  crass  scepticism 
supposes  it  to  be.  Above  all,  the  results  of  the  investi- 
gations now  pursued  in  relation  to  the  group  of  phe- 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIE  SOUECES  3 

nomena  embraced  under  the  designation  of  telepathy, — 
the  subconscious  influence  of  one  mind  over  an  absent  or 
distant  mind, — and  the  wireless  transmission  of  power 
in  wireless  telegraphy  and  telephony,  may  go  far  to  make 
us  hesitate  before  condemning  as  utterly  preposterous 
many  of  the  tales  of  enchantment  and  magical  influence. 
If  the  unconscious  will  of  one  individual  can  affect  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  of  another  individual  at  a  great 
distance  and  without  the  intervention  of  any  known 
means  of  communication,  as  is  confidently  asserted  by 
many  competent  investigators  in  the  domain  of  tele- 
pathy, their  claims  being  supported  by  many  strange 
happenings,  perhaps  the  result  of  coincidence,  but  pos- 
sibly due  to  the  operation  of  some  unknown  law,  does 
this  not  give  a  color  of  verity  to  the  statements  regarding 
the  ancient  magicians  and  their  spells? 

Auto-suggestion,  may  also  afford  an  explanation  of 
much  that  is  mysterious  in  the  effects  attributed  to 
precious  stones,  for  if  the  wearer  be  firmly  convinced 
that  the  gem  he  is  wearing  produces  certain  results,  this 
conviction  will  impress  itself  upon  his  thought  and  hence 
upon  his  very  organism.  He  will  really  experience  the 
influence,  and  the  effects  will  manifest  themselves  just 
as  powerfully  as  though  they  were  caused  by  vibrations 
or  emanations  from  the  material  body  of  the  stone. 

All  this  may  serve  to  explain  the  persistence  of  the 
belief  in  magic  arts.  A  few  hundred  years  ago,  a  Hun- 
garian woman  was  accused  of  having  murdered  two  or 
three  hundred  young  girls,  and  at  her  trial  she  confessed 
that  her  object  was  to  use  the  blood  of  her  victims  to 
renew  her  youth  and  beauty,  for  the  blood  of  innocent 
virgins  was  supposed  to  have  wonderful  properties.  In 
some  parts  of  England  to-day  there  is  a  superstitious 
belief  that  an  article  of  clothing  worn  by  a  person,  or 


4    THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

anything  lie  has  habitually  used,  absorbs  a  portion  of 
his  individuality.  Therefore,  it  sometimes  happens  that 
a  handkerchief,  for  instance,  will  be  stolen  and  pinned 
down  beneath  the  waters  of  a  stream  on  a  toad,  the  pins 
marking  the  name  of  the  enemy,  the  belief  being  that  as 
this  cloth  wastes  away,  so  will  the  body  of  him  who  had 
worn  it.  In  medieval  and  later  times  this  was  the  common 
practice  of  the  sorcerers,  although  they  frequently  com- 
posed a  wax  figure  rudely  resembling  the  person  against 
whom  the  spell  was  directed,  and  then  thrust  pins  into 
this  figure  or  allowed  it  to  melt  away  before  a  slow  fire. 
The  enchantment  of  the  sorcerer  was  supposed  to  have 
caused  some  essence  of  the  personality  to  enter  into  the 
image,  and  therefore  the  living  and  breathing  being  felt 
sympathetically  the  effects  of  the  ill-treatment  inflicted 
upon  its  counterfeit. 

The  persistence  of  the  most  cruel  and  unnatural  prac- 
tices of  old-time  sorcery  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that 
only  a  few  years  ago,  in  the  island  of  Cuba,  three  women 
were  condemned  to  death  for  murdering  a  white  baby 
so  as  to  use  the  heart  and  blood  as  a  cure  for  diseases. 
Four  other  women  were  sentenced  to  from  fourteen  to 
twenty  years7  imprisonment  as  accomplices.  When  snch 
things  happen  in  Cuba,  it  is  not  surprising  that  in  half- 
civilized  Hayti  similar  crimes  are  committed.  Here  the 
Voodoo  priests  and  priestesses,  papalois  and  mamalois 
(papa-kings  and  mama-queens)  require  from  time  to 
time  a  human  sacrifice  to  appease  their  serpent-god.  One 
strange  case  is  related  where  a  stupefying  potion,  in- 
ducing a  state  of  apparent  death,  was  secretly  adminis- 
tered to  a  sick  man.  When  the  attending  physician  pro- 
nounced him  dead,  he  was  duly  interred ;  but,  two  days 
after,  the  grave  was  found  open  and  the  body  had  dis- 
appeared. The  Voodoo  worshippers  had  carried  the  man 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIB  SOURCES  5 

away  so  as  to  revive  him  and  then  sacrifice  him  at  their 
fearful  rites. 

In  a  poem  addressed  to  Marguerite  de  Valois,— "La 
Marguerite  des  Marguerites,"  as  she  was  called, — by 
Jean  de  la  Taille  de  Bondaroy,1  we  read  of  the  diamond 
that  it  caine  from  gold  and  from  the  sun.  But  we  are 
told  that  not  only  are  precious  stones  endowed  with  life, 
they  also  are  subject  to  disease,  old  age,  and  death; 
"they  even  take  offence  if  an  injury  be  done  to  them,  and 
become  rough  and  pale."  The  sickness  of  the  pearl  has 
been  a  theme  for  centuries,  and  in  many  cases  is  only 
fancied.  It  is  but  a  subterfuge  or  deception  for  a  lady 
to  remark  that  her  pearls  have  sickened ;  by  referring  to 
this  sickness,  her  friends  are  naturally  led  to  believe  that 
at  one  time  her  pearls  were  fine,  perfect  ones,  when  in 
reality  they  may  never  have  been  so. 

The  opinion  given  in  1609,  by  Anselmus  De  Boot, 
court  physician  to  Rudolph  II  of  Germany,  regarding  the 
power  inherent  in  certain  precious  stones,2  embodies  the 
ideas  on  this  subject  held  by  many  of  the  enlightened 
minds  of  that  period. 

The  supernatural  and  acting  cause  is  God,  the  good  angel  and  the 
evil  one;  the  good  by  the  will  of  God,  and  the  evil  by  His  permission. 
.  .  .  What  God  can  do  by  Himself,  He  could  do  also  by  means  of 
ministers,  good  and  bad  angels,  who,  by  special  grace  of  God  and  for 
the  preservation  of  men,  are  enabled  to  enter  precious  stones  and  to 
guard  men  from  dangers  or  procure  some  special  grace  for  them. 
However,  as  we  may  not  affirm  anything  positive  touching  the  presence 
of  angels  in  gems,  to  repose  trust  in  them,  or  to  ascribe  undue  powers 
to  them,  is  more  especially  pleasing  to  the  spirit  of  evil,  who  transforms 

1  Jean  de  la  Taille  de  Bondaroy,  "Le  Blason  de  la  Marguerite/' 
Paris,  1574. 

2  Be  Boot,  "  Gemmarum  et  lapidum  historia,"  lib.  i,  cap.  25,  Lug. 
Bat.,  1636,  pp.  87,  91. 


6    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

himself  into  an  angel  of  light,  steals  into  the  substance  of  the  little 
gem,  and  works  such  wonders  by  it  that  some  people  do  not  place 
their  trust  in  Grod  but  in  a  gem,  and  seek  to  obtain  from  it  what  they 
should  ask  of  God  alone.  Thus  it  is  perhaps  the  spirit  of  evil  which 
exercises  its  power  on  us  through  the  turquoise,  teaching  us,  little  by 
little,  that  safety  is  not  to  be  sought  from  God  but  from  a  gem* 

In  the  next  chapter  of  his  work,  De  Boot,  while  ex- 
tolling the  remedial  power  of  a  certain  group  of  stones, 
insists  upon  the  falsity  of  many  of  the  superstitions 
regarding  these  objects.3 

That  gems  or  stones,  when  applied  to  the  body,  exert  an  action 
upon  it,  is  so  well  proven  by  the  experience  of  many  persons,  that 
any  one  who  doubts  this  must  be  called  over-bold.  We  have  proof 
of  this  power  in  the  carnelian,  the  hematite,  and  the  jasper,  all  of 
which  when  applied,  check  hemorrhage.  .  .  .  However,  it  is  very 
necessary  to  observe  that  many  virtues  not  possessed  by  gems  are 
falsely  ascribed  to  them. 

Paracelsus,  the  gifted  and  brilliant  thinker,  scientist, 
and,  we  must  probably  add,  charlatan  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  whose  really  extraordinary  mental  endowment 
was  largely  wasted  in  the  effort  to  impress  his  followers 
with  the  idea  that  he  had  a  mystic  control  over  super- 
natural agencies,  was  the  owner  of  a  talismanic  jewel 
which  he  asserted  to  be  the  dwelling-place  of  a  powerful 
spirit  named  "  Azoth."  Some  old  portraits  of  the 
philosopher,  or  pseudo-philosopher,  figure  him  wearing 
this  jewel,  in  whose  virtues  we  may  fairly  doubt  that  he 
himself  believed,  but  which  furnished  part  of  the  para- 
phernalia be  freely  employed  to  gain  influence  over  the 
credulous.4 

8  De  Boot,  ef  Gemmarum  et  lapidum  historia,"  lib.  i,  cap.  26,  Lug. 
Bat.,  1636,  p.  103. 

*Mackey,  "Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Popular  Delusions,"  Lon- 
elon,  n.  d.,  p.  144. 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIR  SOURCES  7 

The  following  passage  from  the  " Faithful  Lapidary" 
of  Thomas  Nicols,5  who  wrote  in  the  middle  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  illustrates  the  prevailing  opinion  in  Eng- 
land at  that  time  as  to  the  virtues  of  precious  stones : 

Perfectionem  effectus  contineri  in  causa.  But  it  cannot  truly  be 
so  spoken  of  gemms  and  pretious  stones,  the  effects  of  which,  by 
Lapidists  are  said  to  be,  the  making  of  men  rich  and  eloquent,  to 
preserve  men  from  thunder  and  lightning,  from  plagues  and  diseases, 
to  move  dreams,  to  procure  sleep,  to  foretell  things  to  come,  to  make 
men  wise,  to  strengthen  memory,  to  procure  honours,  to  hinder  fas- 
cinations and  witchcrafts,  to  hinder  slothfulness,  to  put  courage  into 
men,  to  keep  men  chaste,  to  increase  friendship,  to  hinder  difference 
and  dissention,  and  to  make  men  invisible,  as  is  feigned  by  the  Poet 
concerning  Gyges  ring,  and  affirmed  by  Albertus  and  others  concerning 
the  ophfhalmius  lapis,  and  many  other  strange  things  are  affirmed  of 
them  and  ascribed  to  them,  which  are  contrary  to  the  nature  of  gemrns, 
and  which  they  as  they  are  materiall,  mixt,  inanimate  bodies  neither 
koow  nor  can  effect,  by  the  properties  and  faculties  of  their  own  consti- 
tutions: because  they  being  naturall  causes,  can  produce  none  other 
but  naturall  effects,  such  as  are  all  the  ordinary  effects  of  gemms: 
that  is,  such  effects  as  flow  from  their  elementary  matter,  from  their 
temper,  form  and  essence;  such  as  are  the  operations  of  hot  and  cold, 
and  of  all  the  first  qualities,  and  all  such  accidents  as  do  arise  from  the 
eommixtion  of  the  first  qualities:  such  as  are  hardnesse,  heavineese, 
thicknesse,  colour,  and  tast.  These  all  are  the  naturall  faculties  of 
gemms,  and  these  are  the  known  effects  of  the  union  of  their  matter, 
and  of  the  operation  of  the  first  qualities  one  upon  another. 

The  long-continued  concentration  of  vision  on  an 
object  tends  to  produce  a  partial  paralysis  of  certain 
functions  of  the  brain.  This  effect  may  be  noted  in  the 
helplessness  of  a  bird  when  its  gaze  is  fixed  upon  the 
glittering  eyes  of  a  serpent,  or  in  the  unwilling  obedience 
yielded  by  a  lion  or  some  other  wild  animal  when  forced 
to  look  into  the  intent  eyes  of  its  trainer.  In  the  same 
way  those  who  gaze  for  a  long  time  and  without  inter- 

5  Nicols,  "  Faithful  Lapidary,"  London,  1659,  pp.  32,  33. 


8    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

ruption  on  a  crystal  or  glass  ball,  on  an  opal,  a  moon- 
stone, a  sapphire,  or  a  cat's-eye,  may  become  partially 
hypnotized  or  even  fall  into  a  profound  sleep.  The  con- 
dition induced,  whether  it  be  that  of  semi-trance,  of  hyp- 
notism, or  simply  due  to  the  imaginative  workings  of 
the  brain,  is  believed  to  give  an  insight  into  the  future, 
This  hypnotic  effect  is  probably  caused  by  some  gleam 
or  point  of  light  in  the  stone,  attracting  and  fixing  the 
beholder's  gaze.  The  moonstone,  the  star  sapphire,  and 
the  cat's-eye  are  all  gems  which  possess  a  moving  light, 
a  moving  line,  or  three  crossed  lines,  and  they  are  believed 
by  the  Orientals  to  be  gems  of  good  luck.  Indeed,  it  is 
supposed  in  the  East  that  a  living  spirit  dwells  within 
these  stones,  a  spirit  potent  for  good. 

Superstitious  fancies  bear  the  same  relation  to  truth 
that  the  shadow  of  a  form  does  to  the  form  itself.  We 
know  that  the  shadow  has  no  substantial  existence,  and 
yet  we  know  equally  well  that  it  is  cast  by  some  real  body; 
in  the  same  way  we  may  be  sure  that,  however  foolish 
a  superstition  may  appear  to  be,  it  has  some  foundation 
in  fact.  Indeed,  superstition  is  associated  with  the 
highest  attribute  of  the  human  mind, — imagination.  The 
realities  about  us  gain  much  of  their  charm  from  senti- 
ment, and  all  that  is  great  in  art  and  literature  owes  its 
being  to  the  transforming  energy  of  pure  imagination. 
Morbid  imagination,  on  the  other  hand,  distorts  and 
degrades  the  impressions  it  receives  and  produces  only 
unlovely  or  ignoble  forms  and  ideas. 

Sentiment  may  best  be  expressed  as  the  feeling  of 
one  who,  on  a  warm  summer's  day,  is  rowing  along  a 
shady  brook  or  resting  in  some  sylvan  dell,  with  nothing 
to  interfere  with  his  tranquil  mood  and  nothing  to  spur 
him  on  to  action;  thus  he  has  only  suggestions  of  hope 
and  indulges  in  rosy  views  of  life.  Reality,  on  the  other 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIR  SOURCES  9 

hand,  may  be  likened  to  a  crisp  winter 's  morning  when 
one  is  filled  with  exhilaration,  conscious  of  the  tingle  of 
the  cold,  but  comfortable  in  the  knowledge  of  wearing  a 
tightly-buttoned  garment  which  will  afford  protection 
should  the  elements  become  disturbing.  Superstition, 
lastly,  can  be  said  to  resemble  a  dark,  cold,  misty  night, 
when  the  moon  is  throwing  malevolent  shadows  which 
are  weird  and  distorted,  while  the  cold  seems  to  seize 
one  by  the  throat  and  arouse  a  passionate  desire  to  free 
one's  self  from  its  grip  in  some  way,  to  change  a  horrible 
nightmare  into  a  pleasant  dream. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century  a  series  of  very 
interesting  experiments  designed  to  demonstrate  the 
effects  produced  upon  a  sensitive  subject  by  the  touch  of 
precious  stones  and  minerals,  were  made  in  the  case  of 
the  "Seeress  of  Prevorst,"  Frederike  Hauffe  (b.  1801), 
a  woman  believed  to  possess  remarkable  clairvoyant 
powers.6  When  pieces  of  granite,  porphyry,  or  flint  were 
placed  in  her  hand,  she  was  not  affected  in  any  way*  The 
finest  qualities  of  fluorspar,  on  the  other  hand,  had  a 
marked  action,  relaxing  the  muscles,  causing  diarrhoea, 
and  producing  a  sour  taste  in  the  mouth ;  occasionally  a 
somnambulistic  state  was  induced.  This  latter  condition 
was  also  produced  by  Iceland  spar  and  by  the  sapphire. 
While  the  substances  so  far  noted  depressed  the  vital 
energy,  sulphate  of  barium  stimulated  the  muscles, 
produced  an  agreeable  warmth  of  the  body,  and  made 
the  subject  feel  as  though  she  could  fly  through  the 
air.  If  the  application  of  this  material  was  long  con- 
tinued, the  pleasurable  sensation  found  expression  in 
laughter.  In  the  case  of  witherite,  a  carbonate  of  barium, 

*  Gorres,  "  Die  chiistliehe  Mystik,"  Regensburg,  1840,  vol.  iii,  pp. 
190  sqq. 


10      THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

this  effect  was  produced  to  an  even  greater  degree,  for 
if  water  in  which  this  mineral  had  been  dipped  were 
swallowed,  spasms  of  laughter  resulted. 

Bock-crystal  also  was  found  to  possess  a  strongly 
stimulating  influence,  for  if  put  in  the  hand,  it  aroused 
the  subject  from  a  half-slumber,  and  if  placed  on  the  pit 
of  the  stomach,  it  had  the  power  to  awaken  the  seeress 
from  a  somnambulistic  trance,  while  at  the  same  time  an 
aromatic  odor  was  diffused  around.  When,  however, 
the  application  was  continued  for  some  time,  the  muscles 
stiffened,  until  finally  an  epileptic  state  ensued.  In- 
deed, the  rigidity  produced  was  so  great  that  the  limbs 
resisted  all  attempts  to  bend  them.  The  same  effect,  but 
in  a  much,  less  degree,  was  caused  by  glass,  even  by  look- 
ing at  it,  or  by  the  tones  emitted  by  a  glass  object  when 
struck.  All  colorless  silicates,  the  diamond,  and  even 
gypsum,  had  a  similar  effect,  as  did  also  heliotrope  and 
basalt,  either  of  which  caused  a  bitter  taste  in  the  mouth. 

The  most  powerful  action  was  that  exerted  by  hem- 
atite, the  oxide  of  iron  in  this  substance  inducing  a  kind 
of  paralysis,  with  a  sensation  of  inner  chill ;  this  condi- 
tion could  only  be  relieved  by  the  application  of  a  piece 
of  witherite.  Octahedrons  of  magnetite  (loadstone) 
caused  a  sensation  of  heaviness  and  convulsive  move- 
ments of  the  limbs,  even  when  the  material,  wrapped  up 
in  paper,  was  brought  near  the  subject.  Spinel,  in  whose 
composition  oxide  of  chromium  enters,  caused  the  same 
symptoms  as  loadstone,  except  that  in  this  case  the  force 
seemed  to  exert  itself  from  the  hand  upward  along  the 
arm,  while  with  the  loadstone  the  action  was  downward 
along  the  arm  to  the  hand,  owing  to  the  attractive  quality 
of  this  magnetic  iron.  Ruby  called  forth  a  sensation  of 
coldness  in  the  tongue,  and  rendered  this  member  so 
heavy  that  only  incoherent  sounds  could  be  emitted; 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIR  SOURCES  11 

the  fingers  and  toes  also  became  cold,  and  the  body  was 
agitated  by  a  violent  shivering;  but  to  all  these  bad  symp- 
toms succeeded  a  sense  of  elasticity  and  well-being,  not, 
however,  without  a  vague  fear  that  the  stone  might  cause 
a  renewal  of  the  physical  depression.  When  chrysoprase 
was  used,  chills  and  shivering  resulted,  beginning  at  the 
breast  and  spreading  thence  over  the  whole  body. 

We  have  touched  upon  the  hypnotic  influence  exer- 
cised by  gems,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  subject 
has  not  been  as  carefully  studied  as  it  deserves  to  be. 
That  the  hypnotic  state  can  be  induced  by  gazing  fixedly 
upon  a  bright  object  held  just  above  the  eyes  is  a  well- 
known  fact,  but  quite  probably  a  similar  though  not  so 
pronounced  effect  results  from  gazing  on  a  bright  object 
just  before  the  gazer's  eyes.  In  the  case  of  colored 
precious  stones,  the  effects  of  the  various  color-rays  com- 
bine with  the  light  effects  and  strengthen  the  impression 
upon  the  optic  nerve.  All  this,  however,  concerns  only 
the  purely  physical  impression,  but  we  know  that  very 
often  the  hypnotic  state  is  produced  by  a  mental  impres- 
sion, by  tEe  belief,  or  the  fear,  that  the  state  will  super- 
vene. With  precious  stones  as  hypnotizing  agents,  the 
mental  impression  is  widely  different,  for  here  the  physi- 
cal impression  is  heightened  by  the  consciousness  of  the 
value  and  rarity  of  the  material.  The  fascination  that  a 
fine  set  of  jewels,  with  all  their  sparkle  and  color,  exer- 
cises upon  the  mind  of  a  woman  who  sees  them  in  their 
glorious  radiance  on  the  neck,  the  arms,  and  the  head  of 
another  woman,  is  not  only  due  to  the  beauty  of  the 
spectacle,  but  is  largely  owing  to  the  consciousness  that 
they  are  rare  and  valuable  objects  and  are  perhaps 
eloquent  witnesses  of  the  power  of  love.  A  dash  of  envy 
sometimes  serves  to  render  the  emotion  more  complex. 

The   names   of  precious   stones   and   semi-precious 


12      THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

stones  are  frequently  used  as  adjectives,  and  when  so 
employed  convey  something  more  to  the  mind  than  do  the 
corresponding  adjectives  of  color.  We  may  instance  the 
following  expressions:  the  " Emerald  Isle"  and  "em- 
erald meadows  " ; "  sapphire  seas  7 7  and  ' '  sapphire  eyes 7 7 ; 
"ruby  wine/'  "ruby  lips,'7  and,  in  Shakespeare,  "the 
natural  ruby  of  your  cheeks'7;  "coral  lips"  and  "coral 
ears'7;  "pearly  teeth"  and  "pearly  skin";  "turquoise 
skies77;  "amethystine  locks"  and,  in  Roman  times, 
"amber  hair.77  In  all  these  cases  the  name  of  the  prec- 
ious mineral  is  really  used  as  a  superlative  of  the  adjec- 
tive, suggesting  the  choicest  variety  of  the  color  or  shade. 
The  phrases  "hard  as  adamant"  and  "clear  as  crystal" 
show  a  similar  use  of  the  name  of  a  precious  or  orna- 
mental stone  to  express  the  highest  grade  of  a  given 
quality. 

Before  the  introduction  of  the  "point77  system  in 
typography  three  of  the  grades  of  type  bore  the  names 
of  precious  stones, — namely,  "diamond  type,77  "agate 
type,77  and  "emerald  type77;  this  latter  designation  is 
employed  only  in  England,  where  "agate  type"  is  called 
"ruby  type.77  Another  size  was  denominated  "pearl 
type.77 

A  fanciful  tale  written  not  long  ago  treats  of  the 
practical  inconveniences  which  would  result,  could  such 
metaphorical  expressions  find  a  realization  in  fact7  At 
the  birth-feast  of  a  certain  princess,  one  of  the  fairies 
was  not  invited;  she,  nevertheless,  made  her  appearance. 
After  the  other  fairies  had  endowed  the  child  with  many 
good  qualities,  the  neglected  fairy  said,  "I  will  give  her 
vanity,  and  her  vanity  shall  change  her  beauty  to  the 
things  it  is  said  to  resemble.77  However,  a  friendly  fairy 

TVirna  Sheard,  "The  Jewelled  Princess/'  in  Canadian  Magazine. 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIR  SOURCES  13 

came  to  the  rescue,  saying,  "I  will  give  her  unselfishness, 
and  by  it  she  shall  turn  her  beauty  back  to  what  she 
wishes  it  to  be." 

The  result  can  easily  be  imagined.  As  the  little 
princess  grew  up,  those  who  wished  to  flatter  her  vanity 
spoke  of  her  "teeth  of  pearl,"  of  her  "golden  hair,"  of 
her  ' '  coral  lips, ' '  and  of  her  *  *  sapphire  eyes. ' '  Upon  this 
her  teeth  changed  to  pearls,  her  hair  to  spun  gold,  her 
lips  to  coral,  and  her  eyes  to  two  magnificent  sapphires. 
However,  beautiful  as  these  were,  they  did  not  grant  the 
power  of  sight,  so  that  the  unhappy  princess  became 
blind.  Not  long  after  this  a  revolution  deprived  the  king 
and  qneen  of  their  throne  and  they  were  reduced  to  great 
poverty.  In  these  straits  the  daughter  sacrificed  her 
"gold-hair"  to  relieve  their  wants,  and  immediately 
the  spell  was  dissolved  and  she  regained  all  her  natural 
beauty. 

Shelley,  who  saw  the  world  illumined  by  the  rainbow 
hues  of  poetic  fancy,  wrote  of  "diamond  eyes,"  "an 
emerald  sky,"  "the  emerald  heaven  of  trees,"  "the  sap- 
phire ocean,"  "sapphire-tinted  skies,"  "the  sapphire 
floods  of  interstellar  air,"  and  "the  chrysolite  of  sun- 
rise." For  some  reason,  he  does  not  use  the  ruby,  a 
favorite  stone  with  many  poets,  and  psychologists  might 
find  in  this  a  proof  that  red  appeals  less  strongly  to  the 
idealist  than  do  the  other  colors. 

The  principal  literary  sources  for  the  talismanic  and 
therapeutic  virtues  attributed  to  ornamental  stones  may 
be  divided  into  several  groups,  at  first  more  or  less  inde- 
pendent of  each  other,  but  combined  to  a  greater  or  lesser 
extent  by  later  writers.  Pliny  gives,  sometimes  rather 
grudgingly,  a  number  of  superstitions  current  in  his  time, 
but  the  Alexandrian  literature  of  the  second,  third,  and 
fourth  Christian  centuries  provides  a  much  richer  field 


14      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

for  these  superstitions,  as  shown  in  the  Orphic  poem 
"Lithica,"  the  "Cyrianides,"  attributed  to  Hermes 
Trismegistus,  the  little  treatise  "  On  Bivers,"  which  bore 
the  name  of  Plutarch,  and  last,  but  not  least,  in  the  work 
by  Damigeron,  which  purported  to  be  written  by  an  Arab 
king  named  Evax,  and  sent  by  him  to  Tiberius  or  Nero. 
The  influence  exerted  by  the  legends  surrounding  the 
stones  of  the  high  priest's  breastplate,  and  those  chosen 
as  foundation  stones  for  the  New  Jerusalem,  will  be 
treated  of  elsewhere. 

In  the  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  centuries,  a  new 
literature  on  this  subject  made  its  appearance,  probably 
in  Asia  Minor.  Some  of  the  works  were  originally 
written  in  Syriac  and  later  translated  into  Arabic. 
Others  were  composed  in  the  latter  language.  This 
source  was  drawn  upon  for  the  production  of  the  Lapi- 
darium  of  Alfonso  X,  of  Castile.  This  compilation, 
although  dating  in  its  present  Spanish  form  from  the 
thirteenth  century,  is  based  upon  a  much  older  original 
in  "Chaldee"  (Syriac?).  There  can  be  little  doubt  that 
.many  Hindu  superstitions,  no  longer  preserved  for  us  in 
the  literature  of  India,  are  reproduced  in  these  Syrio- 
Arabic  works,  wherein  we  have  also  much  that  is  of 
Alexandrian  origin.  This  indeed  is  easily  explained  by 
history,  for  the  Arabs,  through  their  widely  extended 
conquests,  were  led  to  absorb  and  amalgamate  the  date 
they  secured,  directly  or  indirectly,  from  the  East  and 
the  West. 

While  this  literature  was  developing  in  the  Moham- 
medan world,  the  tradition  of  Pliny  and  Solinus  was 
transmitted  to  the  Christian  world  of  the  seventh  and 
succeeding  centuries  by  Isidorus  of  Seville.  This  brings 
us  to  the  remarkable  poetical  treatise  on  the  virtues  of 
precious  stones  by  Marbodus,  Bishop  of  Eennes,  a  work 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIR  SOURCES  15 

written  at  the  end  of  the  eleventh  century,  and  often 
quoted  as  that  of  Evax;  indeed,  it  purports  to  be  by  him 
and  really  contains  a  good  part  of  the  material  com- 
posing the  treatise  of  Damigeron  or  Evax.  At  the  same 
time  Marbodus  drew  freely  upon  Pliny,  either  directly 
or  through  Isidorus.  For  the  Middle  Ages  this  poem  of 
Marbodus,  already  translated  into  Old  French  in  the 
twelfth  century,  became  known  as  the  "Lapidario"  par 
excellence,  and  furnished  a 

great  part  of  their  material  to  TVyf  A  T>  "D  /"\  ^ 
medieval  authors  on  this  sub-  ^  **  .•""  -^  -*-*  ^-^ 

.        .          _.  .  ,  J  DEI    GALLI    POBTAE    VE 

ject.     boon,  however,  extracts 
from  the  Arabic  sources  be- 


came  available,  and  the  whole 

mass    of    heterogeneous    ma-       IWDJ£;[2£? 

terial    was    worked    over  and 


recombined    in    a    variety  of 

Ways  .  Hue  ucnikjotmcontoKtilk  Wcr  : 

This  complex  origin  of  the 
traditions  explains  their  almost 
incomprehensible  contradic-  ANNO 

tions  regarding  the  virtues  as- 

flip   rlifFpranf    cfn-n^a  Title  page  of  the  first  edition  of  the 

Uie   Ulireieni/    SCOneS,      poetical  treatise  on  precious  stones  by 


and  also  the  fact  that  the 
qualities  of  one  stone  are  fre- 
quently attributed  to  another  one,  so  that,  in  the  later 
works  on  this  subject,  it  becomes  quite  impossible  to  pre- 
sent a  satisfactory  view  of  the  distinguishing  qualities 
and  virtues  of  the  separate  stones.  The  habit  of  copying, 
without  discrimination  or  criticism,  whatever  came  to 
hand,  and  the  aim  to  utilize  as  much  of  the  borrowed  ma- 
terial as  possible,  is  scarcely  less  a  characteristic  of  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  century  writers  than  it  is  of 
those  of  a  later  date.  This  is  in  part  an  excusable  and 


16       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


s  ^f  it  c  r  r 

PATRIS 

PIPHANII 

SC.OPI  CYPRI.AD  DIO- 
dorutn  Tyri  cpi&opuni  ^  DC  X.I  I, 


j,  &  crcgionc  Latinos* 
iolaHicrotitantino  irttcrpcctc; 
cum  Corollano  Conra* 
diGc&crL 


even  an  unavoidable  defect,  but  it  should  be  minimized  as 
much  as  possible. 

The  treatise  known  under  the  title  "  Cyrianides ' 7  was, 
as  we  have  noted,  a  product  of  the  Alexandrian  school. 
It  was  asserted  to  be  the  work  of  Hermes  Trismegistus, 
the  name  given  by  the  Greeks  to  the  Egyptian  god  Thoth. 

Here  we  have  a  specimen  of 
the  species  of  magic  known  as 
litteromancy,  or  divination  by 
means  of  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet,  since  a  stone,  a  bird, 
a  plant,  and  a  fish,  each  begin- 
ning with  the  same  letter  and 
signifying  the  four  elements, 
are  given  for  each  of  the 
twenty-four  letters  of  the  Greek 
alphabet.  These  four  objects 
were  to  be  grouped  together  to 
form  a  talisman,  the  bird  being 
usually  engraved  on  the  stone, 
while  a  portion  of  the  fish  and 
of  the  plant  was  placed  in  the 
bezel  of  the  ring  in  which  the 
stone  was  to  be  set.8  Another, 
almost  contemporary  work,  is 
the  exceedingly  curious  and  in- 
teresting treatise  by  St.  Epiphanius,  Bishop  of  Con- 
stantia,  on  the  twelve  gems  on  the * '  Breastplate  of  Judg- 
ment ' '  of  the  high  priest  (Ex.,  xxviii,  15-21) .  This  unique 
production  is  in  the  form  of  a  letter  addressed  to  Dio- 
dorus,  Bishop  of  Tyre,  and  it  is  peculiarly  valuable  as  the 

*De  Mely,  "Les  lapidaires  de  Pantiquite  et  du  moyen-age/7  vol. 
ii,  "Les  lapidaires  grecs/'  Paris,  1898,  pp.  1-50. 


TI  GYRt 


Title  page  of  the  first  edition  of  the 
Greek  treatise  by  St.  Epiphanius  on  the 
Gema  of  the  Breastplate,  with  a  Latin 
version.  Edited  and  issued  at  Zurich  in 
1566  (1565)  by  Conrad  Gesner. 


ROCK-CRYSTAL  AMULET  SET  IN  SILVER. 
Bohemian,  tenth  century.    Field  Museum  of  Natural  History. 


ROCK-CRYSTAL  PLACQUE,  ANCIENT  MEXICAN, 
Field  Museum  Collection,  Chicago. 


SUPERSTITIONS  AND  THEIE  SOURCES  17 

first  of  a  long  series  of  attempts  to  elucidate  the  question 
as  to  the  identity  of  the  twelve  stones.  The  special  virtues 
of  each  stone  are  also  given,  and  this  treatise  may  be 
regarded  as  the  prototype  of  all  the  Christian  writings 
on  the  symbolism  of  stones. 

A  most  interesting  medieval  treatise  on  the  virtues 
of  precious  stones  forms  part  of  the  De  rerum  natura  of 
Thomas  de  Cantimpre  (1201-1270),  who  was  a  pupil  of 
Albertus  Magnus  and  composed  his 
work  between  1230  and  1244.    The  TT  r  QS  ^p  A  p  v 
Latin  text  has  never  been  printed,   A!  1  O  1  \J  1\  Y 
but  the  book  was  translated  into        T        °**  4 
German  by  Konrad  von  Megenberg        I  CWClS* 
about   1350.    Strange  to   say,  the 

,     ,         T  i        j.  !  ji  »,    And  of  the  Principal  Riches  of 

translator  did  not  know  the  name  of      the  EA$I  and  WEST. 
the  writer  and  supposed  when  he 


,  ,.       ,  i    j.      IT       -I        -i    j-i     j    •  i     The  Relation  of  Divefs  of  the 

began  to  translate  the  book  that  it      Moft  Famous  Tiwfen  of 


was  by  Albertus  Magnus.    In  many 

,  Attended 

cases  Thomas  de  Cantimpre  merely 
copies  the  statements  of  older  au- 
thors,  but  occasionally  he  gives  us 
new  material,  or  at  least  a  new  ver- 
sion  of  his  originals. 

rf.-j  i  ,-,.  n         7  .,  Title  page  of  one  of  the  earli^ 

The      renOWned      medieval      pnil-     eat  treatises  on  precious  stones 

osopher  and  theologian,  Albertus  published  m  England- 
Magnus  (1193-1280),  for  a  short  time  Bishop  of  Eatisbon, 
and  who  later  taught  theology  in  the  University  of 
Paris  and  had  the  great  iSt  Thomas  Aquinas  for  a  pupil, 
was  not  altogether  free  from  the  superstitious  notions 
of  his  time,  traces  of  which  appear  in  certain  of  his 
numerous  writings.  Many  years  after  his  death  some 
of  this  material  was  extracted  from  his  works  and, 
amplified  by  additions  from  other  sources,  was  published 
under  the  title  "  Secrets  des  vertus  des  Herbes,  Pierres 
2 


18   THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

et  Bestes."    Of  this  there  are  two  versions,  one  being 
an  epitome  of  the  other  and  termed  respectively  "Le 
Grand  Albert »  and  "Le  Petit  Albert. "    These  little 
books  were  often  reprinted  and  widely  circulated,  and 
eventually  enjoyed  great  popularity  among  the  French 
peasants.    Indeed,  even  to  the  present  day  they  may 
still  be  met  with  in  out-of-the-way  parts  of  rural  France. 
Among  literary  deceptions  one  of  the  boldest  was  that 
practised  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  by 
Ludovico  Dolce.     This  writer  made,  in  1565,  a  literal 
translation  into  Italian  of  the  "Speculum  lapidum"  of 
Camillo  Leonardo,  printed  in  Venice  in  1502,  and  he  had 
the  courage  to  issue  it  as  his  own  work,  under  the 
title  ' '  Trattato  delle  gemme  che  produce  la  natura. ' *    In 
view  of  the  general  familiarity  with  Latin  among  the 
better  classes  at  that  period,  and  the  numerous  fine 
libraries  existing  in  Venice  at  the  time,  it  seems  most 
extraordinary  that  Dolce  should  have  been  successful  in 
palming  off  this  work  as  his  own,  but  even  to-day  cita- 
tions are  made  from  Dolce *s  "Trattato  delle  gemme " 
and  from  Leonardo's  "Speculum  lapidum,"  as  though 
these  were  distinct  works. 


II 


of  $recfotig  ana 
and 


use  of  precious  stones  in  early  times  as  amulets 
and  talismans  is  shown  in  many  ancient  records, 
and  several  scholars  have  assumed  that  the  belief  in  the 
magic  efficacy  of  stones  gave  rise  to  their  use  as  objects 
of  personal  adornment.  It  is,  of  course,  very  difficult 
either  to  prove  or  to  disprove  such  a  theory,  for,  even 
in  the  case  of  the  oldest  texts,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
they  do  not  in  the  least  represent  primitive  conditions, 
and  that  many  thousands  of  years  must  have  elapsed 
before  a  people  could  attain  the  grade  of  civilization 
necessary  for  the  production  of  even  the  simplest  litera- 
ture. For  this  reason,  certain  investigators  have  pre- 
ferred to  seek  for  a  solution  of  this  problem  in  the  cus- 
toms and  habits  of  the  so-called  uncivilized  peoples  of 
our  own  time;  but  we  must  not  forget  that  conditions 
which  seem  to  us  very  rudimentary  are,  nevertheless,  the 
result  of  a  long  process  of  development.  Even  if  this 
development  was  arrested  many  centuries  or  millenniums 
ago,  it  must  have  required  a  very  considerable  period  of 
time  to  evolve  such  usages  and  conventions  as  are  found 
even  among  the  lowest  races.  Indeed,  many  uncivilized 
peoples  have  very  complicated  rules  and  observances, 
testifying  to  considerable  thought  and  reflection. 

Fetichism  in  all  its  forms  depends  upon  an  imperfect 
conception  of  what  constitutes  life  and  conscious  being, 
so  that  will  and  thought  are  attributed  to  inanimate 

19 


20   THE  CUEIOUS  LOKE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

objects.  We  can  observe  this  in  the  case  of  animals  and 
very  young  children,  who  regard  any  moving  object  as 
endowed  with  life.  In  the  case  of  stones,  however,  it 
seems  probable  that  those  supposed  to  be  the  abode  of 
spirits,  good  or  evil,  were  selected  because  their  natural 
form  suggested  that  of  some  animal  or  of  some  portion 
of  the  human  body.  On  the  other  hand,  the  wearing  of 
what  we  call  precious  stones  is  more  likely  to  have  been 
due  to  the  attraction  exercised  by  bright  colors  upon 
the  eye  of  the  beholder  and  to  the  desire  to  display  some 
distinguishing  mark  that  would  command  attention  and 
admiration  for  the  wearer.  This  tendency  runs  through 
the  higher  animal  kingdom,  and  its  workings  have  served 
as  a  foundation  for  the  theory  of  natural  selection. 

It  seems  likely  that  we  have  here  the  true  explanation 
of  the  motive  for  the  gathering,  preserving,  and  wearing 
of  precious  stones.  Since  these  objects  are  motionless, 
they  can  scarcely  have  impressed  the  mind  of  primitive 
man  with  the  idea  that  they  were  alive;  they  were  not 
imposing  by  their  mass,  as  were  large  stones,  and  their 
crystalline  form  scarcely  figured  any  known  living  shape. 
Hence  their  chief,  we  may  even  say  their  only  attrac- 
tion was  their  color  and  brilliancy.  What  effect  these 
qualities  had  upon  the  visual  sense  of  primitive  man 
may  be  safely  inferred  from  the  effect  such  objects  pro- 
duce upon  infants.  The  baby  has  no  fear  in  regard  to  a 
small  and  brilliantly  colored  object  which  is  shown  to  it, 
but  will  eagerly  put  out  its  hand  to  seize,  hold,  and  gaze 
upon  a  bright-colored  stone.  As  the  object  is  quite  pas- 
sive and  easily  handled,  there  is  nothing  to  suggest  any 
lurking  power  to  harm,  and  therefore  there  is  nothing  to 
interfere  with  the  pleasurable  sensation  aroused  in  the 
optic  nerve  by  the  play  of  color.  In  this  naive  admira- 
tion of  what  is  brilliant  and  colored,  the  infant  undoubt- 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  21 

edly  represents  for  us  the  mental  attitude  of  primitive 
man. 

Probably  the  first  objects  chosen  for  personal  adorn- 
ment were  those  easily  strung  or  bound  together, — for 
instance,  certain  perforated  shells  and  brilliant  seeds; 
the  softer  stones,  wherein  holes  could  be  easily  bored  by 
the  help  of  the  simplest  tools,  probably  came  next,  while 
the  harder  gems  must  have  been  hoarded  as  pretty  toys 
long  before  they  could  be  adjusted  for  use  as  ornaments. 

Unquestionably,  when  these  objects  had  once  been 
worn,  there  was  a  disposition  to  attribute  certain  hap- 
penings to  their  influence  and  power,  and  in  this  way 
there  arose  a  belief  in  their  efficacy,  and,  finally,  the  con- 
viction that  they  were  the  abodes  of  powerful  spirits.  In 
this,  as  in  many  other  things,  man's  first  and  instinctive 
appreciation  was  the  truest,  and  it  has  required  cen- 
turies of  enlightenment  to  bring  us  back  to  this  love  of 
precious  stones  for  their  esthetic  beauty  alone.  Indeed, 
even  to-day,  we  can  see  the  power  of  superstitious  belief 
in  the  case  of  the  opal,  which  some  timid  people  still 
fear  to  wear,  although  until  three  or  four  centuries  ago 
this  stone  was  thought  to  combine  all  the  virtues  of  the 
various  colored  gems,  the  hues  of  which  are  united  in  its 
sparkling  light. 

A  proof  that  bright  and  colored  objects  were  attrac- 
tive in  themselves,  and  were  first  gathered  up  and  pre- 
served by  primitive  man  for  this  reason  alone,  may  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  certain  birds,  notable  the  Chlamy- 
dera  of  Australia,  related  to  our  ravens,  after  construct- 
ing for  themselves  pretty  arbors,  strew  the  floors  with 
variegated  pebbles,  so  arranged  as  to  suggest  a  mosaic 
pavement.  At  the  entrance  of  the  arbors  are  heaped  up 
pieces  of  bone,  shells,  feathers,  and  stones,  which  have 
often  been  brought  from  a  considerable  distance,  this 


22   THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

giving  evidence  that  the  birds  have  not  selected  these 
objects  at  random.  It  is  strange  that  the  attraction  ex- 
ercised upon  the  sense  of  sight  by  anything  brilliant 
and  colored,  which  is  at  the  same  time  easily  portable 
and  can  be  handled  or  worn,  should  be  overlooked  by 
those  who  are  disposed  to  assert  that  all  ornaments  of 
this  kind  were  originally  selected  and  preserved  solely 
or  principally  because  of  their  supposed  talismanic 
qualities. 

The  theory  that  colored  and  brilliant  stones  were  first 
collected  by  men  because  of  their  beauty  rather  than 
because  of  their  talismanic  virtues,  is  corroborated  by 
the  statement  made  that  seals  select  with  considerable 
care  the  stones  they  swallow,  and  observers  on  the  fishing 
grounds  have  noted  this  and  believe  that  pebbles  of 
chalcedony  and  serpentine  found  there  have  been  brought 
by  the  seals.1 

The  popular  derivation  of  the  word  "amulet"  from 
an  Arabic  word  liamalat,  signifying  something  suspended 
or  worn,  is  not  accepted  by  the  best  Arabic  scholars,  and 
it  seems  probable  that  the  name  is  of  Latin  origin,  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  no  very  satisfactory  etymology  can 
be  given.  Pliny's  use  of  amuletum  shows  that  with  him 
the  word  did  not  always  denote  an  object  that  was  worn 
on  the  person,  although  this  later  became  its  meaning. 
The  old  etymology  given  by  Varro  (118-29  B.C.),  who 
derived  amuletum  from  the  verb  amoUri,  "to  remove," 
"to  drive  away,"  may  not  be  quite  in  accord  with  modern 
philology,  but  still  has  something  to  recommend  it  as  far 
as  the  sense  goes,  for  the  amulet  was  certainly  believed 
to  hold  dangers  aloof,  or  even  to  remove  them.  Talis- 

1  Lucas,  "  The  Swallowing  Stones  by  Seals,"  Science,  K  S.,  vol.  xx, 
No.  512,  pp.  537,  538;  Report  of  Fur  Seal  Investigation,  vol.  iii,  p.  68. 


1.  Necklace  of  rock-crystal  and  amethyst  beads,  transparent  and  translucent;  very  pale; 

from  Egypt.    First  century. 

2.  Necklace  of  antique  emeralds  with  gold  beads  and  amazon  stones;  from  Egypt.    First 

century  A.D. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  23 

man,  however,  a  word  not  used  in  classical  times,  un- 
doubtedly comes  from  tlie  Arabic  tilsam,  this  being  in 
turn  derived  from  r&ea/ia,  used  in  late  Greek  to  signify 
an  initiation,  or  an  incantation. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  in  the  earliest  Stone  Age 
there  is  no  trace  of  either  idols  or  images ;  the  art  of  this 
period  being  entirely  profane.  In  the  later  Stone  Age, 
however,  entirely  different  ideas  seem  to  have  gained 
the  ascendancy,  for  a  majority  of  the  objects  of  plastic 
art  so  far  discovered  have  a  religious  significance.  This 
has  evidently  proceeded  from  the  conception  that  every 
image  of  a  living  object  absorbs  something  of  the  essence 
of  the  object  itself,  and  this  conception,  while  a  primitive 
one,  still  presupposes  a  certain  degree  of  development. 
This  rule  applies  more  especially  to  amulets,  which  were 
therefore  fashioned  as  beautifully  as  primitive  art  per- 
mitted, that  they  might  become  fitting  abodes  for  the 
benevolent  spirits  believed  to  animate  them  and  render 
them  efficacious.2 

A  curious  idol  or  talisman  from  Houailou,  New  Cale- 
donia, is  in  the  collection  of  Signor  Giglioli.  This  is  a 
stone  bearing  naturally  a  rude  resemblance  to  the  human 
form.3  We  can  easily  understand  that  such  an  object 
was  looked  upon  as  the  abode  of  some  spirit,  for  similar 
strange  natural  formations  have  been  regarded  with  a 
species  of  superstitious  awe  by  peoples  much  more  civil- 
ized than  the  natives  of  New  Caledonia. 

For  the  Middle  Ages  and  even  down  to  the  seven- 
teenth century,  the  talismanic  virtues  of  precious  stones 
were  believed  in  by  high  and  low,  by  princes  and  peas- 


8  Hoernes,  "  UrgeseMehte  der  bildenden  Kunst,"  Wien,  1898,  p.  108. 

*  Giglioli,  "Materiale  per  lo  studio  della  'Eta  della  Pietra/" 
Arcliivio  per  TAntropologia  e  1'Etnologia,  vol.  raxi,  p.  83,  Firenze, 
1901. 


24      THE  CUBIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

ants,  by  the  learned  as  well  as  by  the  ignorant.  Here 
and  there,  however,  a  note  of  scepticism  was  sometimes 
apparent,  as  in  the  famons  reply  of  the  court  jester  of 
Emperor  Charles  V,  to  the  question,  "What  is  the  prop- 
erty of  the  turquoise?"  "Why,"  replied  he,  "if  you 
should  happen  to  fall  from  a  high  tower  whilst  you  were 
wearing  a  turquoise  on  your  finger,  the  turquoise  would 
remain  unbroken." 

The  doctrine  of  sympathy  and  antipathy  found  ex- 
pression in  the  belief  that  the  very  substance  of  certain 
stones  was  liable  to  modification  by  the  condition  of 
health  or  even  by  the  thoughts  of  the  wearer.  In  case  of 
sickness  or  approaching  death  the  lustre  of  the  stones 
was  dimmed,  or  else  their  bright  colors  were  darkened, 
and  unfaithfulness  or  perjury  produced  similar  phe- 
nomena. Concerning  the  turquoise,  the  prosaic  explana- 
tion can  be  offered  that  this  stone  is  affected  to  a  certain 
extent  by  the  secretions  of  the  skin ;  but  popular  super- 
stition saw  the  same  phenomena  in  the  ruby,  the  dia- 
mond, and  other  stones  not  possessing  the  sensitiveness 
of  the  turquoise.  Hence  the  true  explanation  is  to  be 
found  in  the  prevailing  idea  that  an  occult  sympathy 
existed  between  stone  and  wearer.  The  sentiment  un- 
derlying the  conception  is  well  expressed  by  Emerson  in 
the  following  lines  from  "The  Amulet": 

Give  me  an  amulet 

That  keeps  intelligence  with  you, — 
Ked  when  you  love,  and  rosier  red, 

And  when  you  love  not,  pale  and  blue. 

V  A  Persian  legend  of  the  origin  of  diamonds  and  pre- 
cious stones  shows  that  in  the  East  these  beautiful  ob- 
jects were  looked  upon  as  the  source  of  much  sin  and 
sorrow.  "We  are  told  that  when  God  created  the  world 
he  made  no  useless  things,  such  as  gold,  silver,  precious 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  25 

stones,  and  diamonds;  but  Satan,  who  is  always  eager 
to  bring  evil  among  men,  kept  a  close  watch  to  spy  out 
the  appetites  and  passions  of  the  human  mind.  To  his 
great  satisfaction  he  noted  that  Eve  passionately  loved 
the  many-colored  flowers  that  decked  the  Garden  of 
Eden;  he  therefore  undertook  to  imitate  their  brightness 
and  color  out  of  earth.,  and  in  this  way  were  produced 
colored  precious  stones  and  diamonds.  These  in  after 
time  so  strongly  appealed  to  the  greed  and  covetousness 
of  mankind  that  they  have  been  the  cause  of  much  crime 
and  wretchedness.4 

The  present  age  could  afford  us  nearly  as  many  ex- 
amples of  faith  in  talismans  and  amulets  as  any  epoch 
in  the  past,  if  people  were  willing  to  confess  their  real 
beliefs.  However,  they  are  half -ashamed  of  their  fond- 
ness for  such  objects,  and  fail  to  see  that,  back  of  all  the 
folly  and  superstition  that  may  find  expression  in  this 
way,  there  is  a  deeper  meaning  in  these  talismans  than 
we  at  first  perceive.  "We  may  be  disposed  to  smile  when 
we  are  told  that  many  of  the  soldiers  in  the  Austro-Prus- 
sian  War  of  1866  carried  amulets  of  some  kind  upon  their 
persons,  and  that  the  great  Marshal  Canrobert  trusted 
to  the  protection  of  an  amulet  in  the  Crimean  campaign. 
Of  course  the  Eussian  army,  during  the  Eusso-Japanese 
War,  was  amply  provided  with  amulets,  religious  medals 
or  pictures  to  which  a  special  virtue  had  been  given  by  a 
priestly  blessing. 

In  all  these  cases,  however,  it  is  not  the  object  itself, 
but  the  idea  for  which  it  stands  and  which  it  incorporates, 
that  gives  confidence  to  the  wearer,  and  in  this  sense  the 
wearing  of  a  talisman  is  no  more  a  proof  of  blind  super- 
pose, "Handleiding  tot  de  Kennis  van  diamanten,"  etc,,  Am- 
sterdam, 1891,  p.  110. 


26   THE  CUKIOUS  LORE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

stition  than  is  the  devotion  to  a  flag,  in  itself  only  a  few 
square  feet  of  silk  or  bunting,  but,  nevertheless,  the 
symbol  of  the  noblest  ideas  and  feelings,  of  patriotic  de- 
votion to  one's  native  land  and  to  one's  fellow-country- 
men. The  tendency  to  give  a  substantial  visible  form  to 
an  abstract  idea  is  so  deeply  rooted  in  humanity  that  it 
must  be  looked  upon  as  responding  to  a  human  neces- 
sity. It  is  only  very  rarely  that  purely  intellectual  con- 
ceptions can  satisfy  us ;  they  must  be  given  some  exter- 
nal, palpable  and  visible  form  to  exert  their  greater 
influences. 

Although  it  may  bear  a  certain  superficial  likeness  to 
fetichism,  this  use  of  signs  and  symbols  is  something 
entirely  and  radically  different,  for  the  idea  is  never  lost 
sight  of,  it  is  only  strengthened  and  vivified  by  tlie  con- 
templation of  the  symbol.  Hence,  while  we  know  quite 
well  that  the  symbol  is  nothing  in  itself,  we  know  just  as 
well  that  it  has  a  real  power  in  its  relation  to  the  idea 
it  typifies,  and  we  can  no  more  be  indifferent  to  its  injury 
or  destruction  than  we  could  be  indifferent  to  the  injury 
or  destruction  of  a  cherished  memento  of  one  whom  we 
have  loved  and  lost. 

What  super-subtle  sense  is  it  that  enables  some 
women  to  endow  their  gems  with  a  certain  individuality, 
and  leads  them  to  feel  that  these  cold,  inanimate  objects 
partake  of  human  emotion?  A  French  writer,  Mme. 
Catulle  Mendes,  gives  expression  to  this  when  she  says 
that  she  always  wears  as  many  of  her  rings  as  possible, 
because  her  gems  feel  slighted  when  she  leaves  them 
unworn.  She  continues : 

I  have  a  ruby  -which  grows  dull,  two  turquoises  which  become  pale 
as  death,  aquamarines  which  look  like  siren's  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
when  I  forget  them  too  long.  How  sad  I  should  feel  if  precious 
stones  did  not  love  to  rest  upon  me ! 


MOSAICS  OF  TURQUOISE  AND  ENAMELLED  CARNELIAN  BEADS, 

FROM  THIBET. 
Field  Museum,  Chicago. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  27 

A  very  beautiful  and  curious  object  was  found  in 
the  Australian  opal-fields  in  1909.  This  is  a  reptilean 
skeleton  resembling  a  small  serpent  that  has  become 
opalized  by  natural  processes.  Perfect  in  all  its  de- 
tails, which  are  rendered  more  striking  by  the  splendid 
play  of  color,  this  specimen  of  Nature's  handiwork  pos- 
sesses a  beauty  and  an  interest  exceeding  those  to  be 
found  in  any  work  of  man.  As  an  amulet  it  certainly 
is  sui  generis,  and  in  ancient  times  would  have  been 
valued  at  an  immense  sum,  for  the  figure  of  a  serpent 
was  a  favorite  symbol  of  medical  science;  even  to-day 
there  is  little  doubt  that  this  strange  object  will  be 
eagerly  sought  for  by  collectors,  and  will  appeal  more 
especially  to  all  who  are  interested  in  occult  science,  and 
to  all  who  appreciate  the  poetic  and  perhaps  mystic  sig- 
nificance of  form,  sign,  and  symbol. 

It  is  impossible  to  over-estimate  the  effect  of  color 
in  determining  the  supposed  influence  of  gems  upon  the 
fortunes  or  health  of  the  wearers.  When  we  gaze  upon 
the  beautiful  play  of  light  emitted  by  a  fine  ruby  or  sap- 
phire, we  are  all  conscious  of  the  aesthetic  effect  pro- 
duced ;  but  in  earlier  times,  when  scientific  ideas  were  not 
yet  prevalent,  many  other  considerations  combined  to 
give  a  peculiar  significance  to  these  brilliant  gems.  Bar£ 
and  costly  as  they  were,  they  were  supposed  to  possess 
mystic  and  occult  powers  and  were  thought  to  be  the 
abode  of  spirits,  sometimes  benevolent  and  sometimes 
malevolent,  but  always  endowed  with  the  power  to  in- 
fluence human  destinies  for  weal  or  woe.  Coupled  with 
this  was  the  instinctive  appreciation  of  the  essential 
qualities  of  certain  rays  of  light,  and  modern  science, 
far  from  doing  away  with  these  ideas,  has  rather  seemed 
to  find  a  good  reason  for  them.  We  all  know  the  thera- 
peutic value  of  the  ultra-violet  rays,  and  when  the  unin- 


28       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

stmcted  mind  saw  therein  the  embodiment  of  purity  and 
chastity,  it  perhaps  realized  this  health-giving  and  bene- 
ficent function.    In  the  same  way  the  idea  of  passion 
was  associated  with  the  red  and  radiant  ruby,  another 
concept  the  relative  truth  of  which  has  been  demon- 
strated by  spectrum  analysis,  since  the  red  rays  are  heat- 
giving  and  vivifying.    But  this  was  not  the  only  source 
of  these  primitive  ideas  in  regard  to  color;  the  thera- 
peutic effect  was  often  sought  and  found  in  some  fancied 
analogy  between  the  color  of  the  gem  and  the  character 
of  the  malady  or  infirmity  to  be  cured.    Thus,  yellow 
stones  were  supposed  to  be  especially  efficacious  in  cases 
of  jaundice,  an  instance  of  instinctive  homoeopathy,  based 
on  the  dictum  similia  similibus  curantur.    Following  out 
this  train  of  thought,  the  red  stones  were  endowed  with 
the  power  of  checking  the  flow  of  blood;  especially  the 
so-called  bloodstone  was  prescribed  for  this  use,  and  it 
was  supposed  that  by  its  mere  touch  it  could  stop  the 
most  violent  hemorrhages.    Green  was  regarded  as  the 
color  most  beneficial  for  the  sight,  and  to  the  emerald 
and  other  green  stones  was  ascribed  great  curative  power 
in  this  respect.    Here,  however,  the  simple  influence  of 
the  color  was  later  combined  with  its  symbolical  signifi- 
cance.   In  heathen  mythology  this  showed  itself  in  the 
ascription  of  the  emerald  to  Venus,  as  the  exponent  of 
the  reproductive  energies  of  nature,  while  in  the  Chris- 
tian conception  these  stones  became  typical  of  the  resur- 
rection, of  the  birth  into  a  new  and  purer  life.    Nowhere 
can  we  find  a  better  illustration  of  the  transforming 
effect  of  distinct  and  diametrically  opposite  concepts 
upon  the  impressions  made  by  natural  objects.     The 
pure  and  colorless  and  yet  brilliant  stones,  such  as  the 
diamond  and  all  other  white   stones,  were  naturally 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  29 

brought  into  connection  with  the  moon,  although,  the 
diamond,  because  of  its  superior  qualities  and  excep- 
tional brilliance  and  value,  was  frequently  looked  upon 
as  the  gem  of  the  sun*  All  gems  associated  with  the  moon 
partook  of  its  enigmatic  character.  Illuminating  the 
witching  hour  of  the  night,  when  malevolent  and  treach- 
erous spirits  were  supposed  to  hold  sway,  the  moon  was 
sometimes  regarded  as  baleful,  as  may  be  seen  in  the 
idea  that  associated  lunacy  with  exposure  to  the  bright 
rays  of  the  moon ;  at  other  times  it  was  supposed  to  have 
the  power  to  conjure  these  evil  influences  and  to  drive 
off  the  powers  of  darkness. 

The  symbolical  significance  of  the  colors  of  precious 
stones  is  treated  at  considerable  length  by  Giacinto 
Gimma,5  who  has  gathered  together  a  great  quantity  of 
material  on  the  subject 

Yellow  worn  by  a  man  denoted  secrecy,  and  was  ap- 
propriate for  the  silent  lover;  worn  by  a  woman  it  indi- 
cated generosity.  Golden  yellow  was,  of  course,  the 
symbol  of  the  sun  and  of  Sunday.  The  precious  stone 
was  the  chrysolite  or  the  yellow  jacinth.  The  animal 
connected  with  the  color  was  the  lion,  doubtless  from 
the  association  of  the  zodiacal  sign  Leo  with  the  mid- 
summer sun.  Of  the  seven  ages  of  man  yellow  typified 
adolescence,  Roman  matrons  covered  their  heads  with 
a  yellow  veil  to  show  their  hope  of  offspring  and  happi- 
ness. Because  garments  of  this  color  were  a  sign  of 
grandeur  and  nobility,  a  golden  vestment  is  assigned  to 
the  Queen  of  Heaven  as  a  sign  of  her  pre-eminence,  as 
we  read  in  Psalm  slv,  9 :  "Upon  thy  right  hand  did  stand 
the  queen  in  gold  of  Ophir."  Gimma  *s  explanation  of 

""Delia  storia  natnrale  delle  Gemme,"  Napoli,  1730,  Vol.  I,  pp. 
131-137. 


30       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

this  as  referring  to  the  Virgin  Mary  is  in  accord  with 
the  Catholic  exegesis  of  his  time. 

White  signified  for  men  friendship,  religion,  integ- 
rity; for  women,  contemplation,  affability,  and  purity. 
It  was  associated  with  the  moon  and  with  Monday  and 
was  represented  by  the  pearl.  The  animal  having  an 
affinity  with  white  was  quite  naturally  the  ermine.  The 
mystic  number  was  seven,  and  white  was  the  color  of  in- 
fancy. Among  the  ancients  white  was  a  sign  of  mourn- 
ing and  sadness,  and  the  Greek  matrons  attired  them- 
selves in  white  on  the  death  of  their  husbands.  G-imma 
states  that  in  his  time,  in  Eome,  widows  used  to  wear 
white  as  mourning  for  their  husbands,  while  throughout 
Italy  a  white  band  worn  around,  the  head  was  a  sign  of 
widowhood. 

Bed  garments  on  a  man  indicated  command,  nobility, 
lordship,  and  vengeance;  on  a  woman,  pride,  obstinacy, 
and  haughtiness.  This  was  the  color  of  the  planet  Mars 
and  of  Tuesday;  it  was  represented  by  the  ruby.  Why 
the  lynx  should  have  been  selected  as  the  animal  for  red 
is  rather  difficult  to  understand,  but,  as  the  most  vivid 
color,  the  choice  of  red  as  a  type  of  full  manhood  need 
not  surprise  us.  Its  number  was  the  potent  nine,  three 
multiplied  by  itself.  The  ancients  covered  with  a  red 
cloth  the  biers  of  those  who  had  died  valiantly  in  battle, 
as  Homer 6  shows  when  he  relates  that  the  brothers  and 
companions  of  Hector  covered  the  urn  containing  the 
hero's  ashes  with  soft  purple  (scarlet)  robes.  Plutarch 
asserts  that  the  Lacedemonians  clothed  their  soldiers  in 
red  to  strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  their  enemies  and 
to  manifest  a  thirst  for  blood.  We  might  perhaps,  say 
much  the  same  of  the  English  "  red-coats "  to-day.  The 

«IL,  ssiv,  795,  796. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  31 

Italian  code  of  criminal  laws  known  as  the  "Digesto 
Nuovo"  was  bound  in  red,  to  signify  that  a  bloody  death 
awaited  thieves  and  murderers. 

Blue  on  a  man's  dress  indicated  wisdom  and  high  and 
magnanimous  thoughts;  on  a  woman's  dress,  jealousy  in 
love,  politeness,  and  vigilance.  Friday  and  Venus  were 
represented  by  blue,  and  the  celestial-hued  sapphire  was 
the  stone  in  which  this  color  appeared  in  all  its  beauty. 
Blue  was  a  fit  symbol  of  the  age  of  childhood,  but  it  is 
less  easy  to  understand  the  choice  of  the  goat  as  the 
animal  associated  with  the  color.  The  significant  number 
was  six.  Natural  science,  the  contemplation  of  the 
heavens  and  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  the  study  of 
stellar  influences  were  all  typified  by  blue. 

Green  signified  for  men  joyousness,  transitory  hope, 
and  the  decline  of  friendship;  for  women,  unfounded 
ambition,  childish  delight,  and  change.  The  early  ver- 
dure of  spring  might  be  regarded  as  at  once  a  symbol  of 
hope  and  of  eventual  disappointment,  for  it  must  soon 
pass  away.  Mercury,  and  Wednesday,  the  day  of  Mer- 
cury, were  both  typified  by  green,  the  sly  fox  being 
selected  as  the  animal  is  sympathy  with  the  wily  god. 
The  typical  green  stone  is  the  emerald,  youth  is  the  age 
of  man  represented  by  the  color,  and  five  the  magic 
number  expressing  it.  In  ancient  times  green  was  used 
in  the  case  of  those  who  died  in  the  flower  of  youth,  an 
emerald  being  sometimes  placed  on  the  index-finger  of 
the  corpse,  as  a  sign  that  the  light  of  hope  was  spent, 
for  the  lower  part  of  the  torches  used  in  religious  cere- 
monies was  marked  with  green.  Fulvius  Pellegrinus  re- 
lates that,  in  the  tomb  of  Tullia,  the  dearly-beloved 
daughter  of  Cicero,  there  was  found  an  emerald,  the  most 
beautiful  that  had  ever  been  seen.  This  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  Marchesana  di  Mantova,  Isabella  Gonzaga 


32       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

da  Este.  In  Italy  the  graves  of  young  virgins  and  of 
children  were  covered  with  green  branches.  When  the 
Codex  Justinianus  was  rediscovered  and  added  to  the 
other  Pandects,  it  was  bound  in  green  to  signify  that 
these  laws  were  rejuvenated. 

Black  for  men  means  gravity,  good  sense,  constancy, 
and  fortitude;  for  young  women,  fickleness  and  foolish- 
ness, but  for  married  women,  constant  love  and  perse- 
verance. The  planet  Saturn  and  Saturday  are  denoted 
by  black.  Strange  to  say,  the  diamond,  the  white  gem 
par  excellence,  was  selected  to  represent  this  sombre 
hue.  Perhaps  to  offset  this  the  animal  chosen  was  the 
hog.  As  black  was  a  mourning  color,  we  need  not  be  sur- 
prised that  it  typified  decrepitude.  The  number  eight, 
the  double  square,  was  supposed  to  have  some  affinity 
with  black.  Black  is  a  symbol  of  envy,  for  the  thoughts 
which  aim  at  another's  injury  cloud  the  soul  and  afflict 
the  body.  The  book  of  laws  treating  of  dispositions  made 
in  view  of  death  was  bound  in  black.  The  sinister  sig- 
nificance of  black  is  well  illustrated  by  what  is  told  of 
the  ruthless  Tartar  Tamerlane.  When  he  attacked  a 
city,  he  caused  a  white  tent  to  be  pitched  for  himself  on 
the  first  day  of  the  siege,  as  a  sign  that  mercy  would  be 
shown  to  the  inhabitants  if  they  immediately  sur- 
rendered ;  on  the  second  day  a  red  tent  was  substituted, 
signifying  that  if  the  city  yielded,  all  the  leaders  would 
be  put  to  death;  on  the  third  day,  however,  a  black 
tent  was  raised,  an  ominous  signal  that  no  mercy 
would  be  shown  and  that  all  the  inhabitants  would  be 
slaughtered. 

Violet  for  a  man  denoted  sober  judgment,  industry, 
and  gravity;  for  a  woman,  high  thoughts  and  religious 
love.  It  was  the  color  of  the  planet  Jupiter  and  of 
Thursday.  As  with  blue,  the  sapphire  was  conceived  to 


..  A  necklace  of  rock  crystal,  emeralds,  hexagonal  crystals,  and  amazon  stones;  from  Egypt. 

!.  A  necklace  of  onyx  and  gold  beads  with  the  "Lucky  Eye"  agates;  from  Egypt.   Carnelian, 

sard;  blue  and  white,  and  black  and  white  glass  beads. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  33 

present  violet  most  attractively.  That  the  bull  should 
be  selected  as  the  animal  represented  by  this  color  prob- 
ably arose  from  some  mythological  connection  with  Jupi- 
ter, possibly  the  myth  of  Europa  and  the  bull.  Violet  was 
the  color  of  old  age  and  was  associated  with  the  number 
three. 

The  influence  of  color  upon  the  nerves  has  been  noted 
by  some  of  the  leading  authorities  on  hypnotism.  For 
example,  Dr.  Paul  Ferez,  finding  that  red  light  is  stimu- 
lating and  blue-violet  calming,  suggests  that  those  who 
treat  patients  by  means  of  hypnotism  should  have  two 
rooms  for  their  reception.  In  one  of  these  rooms  the 
curtains,  wall-paper,  chair-coverings,  etc.,  would  be  red, 
while  in  the  other  they  would  be  of  a  violet-blue  hue. 
Those  suffering  from  a  lack  of  will-power  or  from  lassi- 
tude and  depression  are  to  be  received  in  the  red  room, 
and  those  who  are  a  prey  to  over-excitability  are  intro- 
duced into  the  blue  room.  Moreover,  according  to  Dr. 
Ferez,  the  sedative  qualities  of  the  violet-blue  can  be 
utilized  in  inducing  the  hypnotic  state.  For  this  pur- 
pose he  recommends  a  violet-blue  disk,  which  is  to  be 
rotated  rapidly  before  the  eyes  of  the  patient,  the  move- 
ment serving  to  attract  and  hold  his  gaze  better  than  any 
immovable  object  would  do.7 

Eed  stones  such  as  rubies,  carbuncles,  and  garnets, 
whose  color  suggested  that  of  blood,  were  not  only  be- 
lieved to  confer  invulnerability  from  wounds,  but  some 
Asiatic  tribes  have  used  garnets  as  bullets,  upon  the 
contrary  principle  that  this  blood-cblored  stone  would 
inflict  a  more  deadly  wound  than  would  a  leaden  bullet. 
Such  bullets  were  used  by  the  rebellious  Hanzas^  in 

7  Paper  by  Dr.  Paul  Ferez  in  the  Eevue  de  PHypnotisme,  Paris, 
No.  10,  April,  1906,  p.  306. 
3 


34   THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

1892,  during  their  hostilities  with  the  British  troops  on 
the  Kashmir  frontier,  and  many  of  these  precious  mis- 
siles were  preserved  as  curiosities. 

In  his  " Colloquy  on  Pilgrimages,"  Erasmus  makes 
one  of  the  speakers  ask,  "Dost  thou  not  see  how  the 
artificer  Nature  delights  to  represent  all  things  by  colors 
and  forms,  but  more  especially  in  gems?"  He  then  pro- 
ceeds to  enumerate  the  various  images  of  natural  objects 
in  stones.  In  the  ceraunia  appeared  the  thunder-bolt; 
in  the  pyrope,  living  fire;  the  chalazia  (rock-crystal) 
preserved  the  form  and  coldness  of  the  hailstone  even 
if  cast  into  the  fire.  In  the  emerald  were  shown  the  deep 
and  translucent  waves  of  the  sea ;  the  carcinia  imitated 
the  form  of  crabs ;  the  echites,  of  vipers ;  the  hieracites, 
of  hawks;  the  geranites,  of  cranes.  The  setites  offered 
the  image  of  an  eagle  with  a  white  tail ;  the  taos  had  the 
form  of  a  peacock ;  the  chelonites,  of  an  asp ;  while  the 
myrmecites  bore  within  the  figure  of  an  ant.8  The  stones 
bearing  this  latter  name  were  probably  specimens  of 
amber  containing  ants. 

The  Gr^ek  names  of  these  stones  enumerated  by 
Erasmus  signify  their  real  or  supposed  resemblance  to 
certain  natural  objects,  or  to  something  characteristic 
of  such  objects.  Many  of  them  were  fossils,  preserving 
the  form  of  some  living  organism;  a  few  were  entirely 
fabulous;  still  others  owed  their  names  to  some  legend 
or  myth  illustrating  their  fancied  therapeutic  virtues,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  setites  (eagle-stone)  said  to  be  found 
in  the  eagle  ?s  nest.  Evidently  this  was  a  quartz  pebble. 

The  oldest  magic  formulas  that  have  been  preserved 
for  us  are  those  of  the  Sumerians,  the  founders  of  the 

"Erasmi,  "  Colloquia,"  Lipsiae,  1713,  pp.  597-8.  Suggested  by 
Pliny,  lib.  xxxvii,  cap.  71-73. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  35 

ancient  civilization  of  Babylonia.  Some  of  them  contain 
references  to  the  use  of  precious  stones  as  amulets,  as 
appears  in  the  following  specimen: 

Cords  of  light-colored  wool, 

Offered  ( ?)  with  a  pure  hand, 

For  jaundice  of  the  eye, 

Bind  on  the  right  side  (of  the  patient). 

A  lululti  ring,  with  sparkling  stones 

Brought  from  his  own  land, 

For  inflammation  of  the  eye, 

On  the  little  finger 

Of  his  left  (hand),  place.9 

A  curious  Babylonian  mythological  text  represents 
the  solar  diety  Ninib,  the  son  of  Bel,  as  determining  the 
fate  of  various  stones  by  pronouncing  a  blessing  or  a 
curse  upon  them.  For  instance,  the  dolomite  was  blessed 
and  declared  to  be  fit  material  for  the  statues  of  kings, 
while  a  substance  called  the  elu  stone  was  cursed,  pro- 
claimed to  be  unfit  for  working,  and  doomed  to  disin- 
tegration. Alabaster  was  favored  by  the  god,  but  chal- 
cedony aroused  his  anger  and  was  condemned.10 

In  these  Sumero-Assyrian  inscriptions,  there  is  also 
mention  of  two  stones,  the  aban  rame  and  the  aban  la 
rdme,  the  < '  Stone  of  Love '  '  and  the  ' '  Stone  of  Hate '  >  (lit. 
"non-love").11  Evidently  these  stones  were  believed  to 
excite  one  or  other  of  these  contradictory  passions  in  the 
hearts  of  the  wearers,  and  they  may  be  compared  with 
the  stones  of  memory  and  forgetfulness  in  the  "Gesta 
Bomanorum." 

In  an  ancient  Egyptian  burial-place  at  Shech  Abd  el- 

'Morris  Jastrow,  "Die  Religion  Babylonians  und  Assyriens,"  vol. 
i,  Giessen,  1905,  p.  374. 

10  Morris  Jastrow,  1.  c.,  p.  462. 

n  Delitzsch,  "  Assyrisches  Worterbucb,"  Leipzig,  1896,  p.  604. 


36      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Qurna,  excavated  by  Passalaqua,  was  found  the  mummy 
of  a  young  woman.    Not  only  was  it  evident  from  the 
rich  ornaments  adorning  the  body  that  she  had  been  of 
noble  birth,  but  it  was  also  apparent  that  she  must  have 
been  exceedingly  beautiful  in  form  and  feature,  and  must 
have  died  in  the  flower  of  her  age.    The  hair  was  artis- 
tically braided  and  adorned  with  twenty  bronze  hair- 
pins.   About  her  neck  was  a  remarkably  beautiful  neck- 
lace composed  of  four  rows  of  beads  with  numerous 
pendants  representing  divinities  and  sacred   symbols. 
There  were  also  two  smaller  necklaces  with  beads  of 
gold,  lapis-lazuli,  and  carnelian;  two  large  jewelled  ear- 
rings hung  from  her  ears,  and  on  the  index-finger  of  her 
right  hand  was  a  ring  set  with  a  scarab;  a  gold  belt 
garnished  with  lapis-lazuli  and  carnelians  was  bound 
about  her  waist  and  a  gold  bracelet  adorned  with  semi- 
precious stones  encircled  her  left  wrist.    In  the  sarco- 
phagus was  a  beautiful  mirror  of  golden-yellow  bronze, 
and  three  alabaster  vases,  one  still  containing  some  balm 
or  perfume,  and  another  some  galena  (native  lead  sul- 
phide) to  be  used  as  a  cosmetic  for  the  eyes,  as  well  as  a 
little  ebony  pencil  for  its  application.    All  these  objects 
are  now  in  the  Egyptian  collection  of  the  Berlin  Museum, 
and  they  probably  belong  to  the  period  of  the  XVIII 
Dynasty,  about  1500  B.C. 

The  principal  necklace  was  undoubtedly  regarded  by 
the  fair  Egyptian  as  an  amulet  of  great  power,  but  it 
failed  to  protect  her  from  an  untimely  end;  perhaps, 
however,  its  virtues  may  have  aided  her  soul  in  its  pas- 
sage through  the  trials  and  tests  imposed  in  the  under- 
world. Of  the  numerous  pendants  which  lent  to  the  neck- 
lace its  peculiar  quality  as  an  amulet,  three,  in  carnelian, 
figure  the  god  Bes;  seven,  also  in  carnelian,  the  hippo- 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  37 

potamus-goddess  Toeris,  of  whom  there  are  besides  two 
representations  in  lapis-lazuli;  then  we  have  a  heart  of 
lapis-lazuli ;  a  cat  of  lapis-lazuli;  four  falcons  of  carne- 
lian;  one  crocodile  of  carnelian  and  two  of  lapis-lazuli; 
four  fish  of  carnelian,  as  well  as  two  others  of  a  blackish- 
white  and  of  a  green  stone,  respectively,  and  two  scor- 
pions of  carnelian,  and  seven  flower-forms  of  the  same 
stone.  The  greater  part  of  the  beads  in  this  necklace 
are  of  annular  form,  of  gold,  electrum,  ivory,  or  lapis- 
lazuli  ;  there  are  a  few  larger  annular  or  spherical  beads 
of  carnelian,  chrysoprase,  and  malachite,  and  measuring 
up  to  3.5  cm.  in  diameter.12 

A  necklace,  from  the  time  of  the  Old  Empire  (c.  3500 
B.C.),  and  having  for  its  chief  adornment  a  turquoise 
pendant  rudely  fashioned  into  the  form  of  an  ibex,  was 
found  by  the  G-erman  Orient-G-esellschaft  at  Abusir  el- 
Meleq  in  1905.  This  necklace,  the  parts  of  which  were 
found  about  the  neck  of  a  body,  presumably  that  of  a 
young  man,  was  composed  of  rounded  and  annular  beads 
of  carnelian  and  shell,  as  well  as  of  flat,  perforated  frag- 
ments of  turquoise  and  almandine  garnet  and  an  ap- 
proximately lozenge-shaped  bead  of  amethyst  1.7  cm. 
long  and  1.4  cm.  broad.  The  chief  ornament  was  the 
turquoise  ibex  1.7  cm.  in  length  and  0.9  cm.  high.13  This 
figure  suggests  a  comparison  with  the  animal  and  bird 
forms  fashioned  out  of  turquoise  that  have  been  found 
in  Indian  graves  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  and  it 
probably  had  the  quality  of  a  fetich,  or  at  least  of  a 

13 "  Aegyptische  Goldsehmiedearbeit,"  ed.  by  Heinriek  Schaffer, 
Berlin,  1910,  pp.  25-32;  necklace  figured  on  PL  V,  other  objects  on 
Pis.  V-VIL 

18  Ibid.,  p.  14,  PL  II,  figs.  3a,  3b. 


38      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

talisman,  intended  to  guard  the  wearer  of  the  necklace 
from  harm. 

That  there  was  in  Egypt  a  strong  inclination  to  use  a 
certain  particular  stone  for  a  given  amulet,  will  be  noted 
in  the  case  of  those  inscribed  with  special  chapters  of 
the  Book  of  the  Dead.  This  is  also  true  of  amulets  of 
certain  forms.  For  instance,  the  head-rest  amulet  is 
usually  of  hematite  as  is  also  the  carpenter's  square. 
Of  the  heart  amulets,  numbering  47  in  the  rich  collec- 
tions of  the  Cairo  Museum,  nine  are  of  carnelian,  four  of 
hematite,  two  of  lapis-lazuli,  and  two  each  of  green 
porphyry  and  green  jasper,  carnelian  being  thus  the  most 
favored  among  the  more  precious  materials.  Amulets 
of  animal  form  are  plentifully  represented  in  this  collec- 
tion, figuring  a  large  variety  of  members  of  the  animal 
kingdom  such  as  the  hippopotamus,  crocodile,  lion,  bull, 
cow,  hare,  dog-headed  ape,  cat,  dog  (somewhat  doubtful), 
jackal,  hedgehog,  frog,  hawk,  cobra  and  fishes,  to  which 
list  may  be  added  a  four-headed  ram  and  a  ram-headed 
sphinx.14 

One  of  the  special  uses  of  amulets  was  for  seafaring 
people,  for,  in  ancient  times  especially,  all  who  went 
down  to  the  sea  in  ships  were  greatly  in  need  of  protec- 
tion from  the  fury  of  the  elements  when  they  embarked 
in  their  small  sailing-vessels.  A  fragment  of  a  Greek 
Lapidary,15  probably  written  in  the  third  or  fourth  cen- 
tury of  our  era,  gives  a  list  of  seven  amulets  peculiarly 
adapted  for  this  purpose.  The  number  might  suggest 
a  connection  with  the  days  of  the  week,  and  the  amulets 

"See  Reisner,  "Catalogue  generale  des  antiquites  egyptiennes  du 
Musee  du  Caire:  Amulets"  Le  Caire,  1907. 

"Pitra,  "Specilegium  Solesmense,"  Parisiis,  1855,  vol.  Hi,  p.  393. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  39 

were  perhaps  regarded  as  most  efficacious  when  used  on 
the  respective  days. 

In  the  first  were  set  a  carbuncle  and  a  chalcedony; 
this  amulet  protected  sailors  from  drowning.  The  second 
had  for  its  gem  either  of  two  varieties  of  the  adamas,— 
one,  the  Macedonian,  being  likened  to  ice  (this  was  prob- 
ably rock-crystal),  while  the  other,  the  Indian,  of  a  silvery 
hue,  may  possibly  have  been  our  corundum;  however,  the 
Macedonian  stone  was  regarded  as  the  better.  The  third 
amulet  bore  the  beryl,  "transparent,  brilliant,  and  of  a 
sea-green  hue,"  evidently  the  aquamarine  beryl;  this 
banished  fear.  The  fourth  had  for  its  gem  the  druops, 
" white  in  the  centre,"  probably  the  variety  of  agate  so 
much  favored  as  a  protector  against  the  spell  of  the  Evil 
Eye.  A  coral  was  placed  in  the  fifth  amulet,  and  this 
was  to  be  attached  to  the  prow  of  the  ship  with  strips 
of  seal-skin ;  it  guarded  the  vessel  from  winds  and  waves 
in  all  waters.  For  the  sixth  amulet  the  ophiokiolus  stone 
was  selected,  most  probably  a  kind  of  banded  agate,  for 
it  is  said  to  have  been  girdled  with  stripes  like  the  body 
of  a  snake ;  whoever  wore  this  had  no  need  to  fear  the 
surging  ocean.  The  seventh  and  last  of  these  nautical 
amulets  bore  a  stone  called  opsianos,  apparently  a 
resinous  or  bituminous  material,  possibly  a  kind  of  jet ; 
this  came  from  Phrygia  and  Galatia,  and  the  amulet 
wherein  it  was  set  was  a  great  protection  for  all  who 
journeyed  by  sea  or  by  river. 

The  ancient  treatises  on  the  magic  art  show  that  the 
nse  of  amulets  was  considered  to  be  indispensable  for 
those  who  dared  to  evoke  the  dark  spirits  of  the  nether- 
world, for  without  the  protection  afforded  by  his  amulet 
the  magician  ran  the  risk  of  being  attacked  by  these 
spirits.  One  of  these  texts  gives  directions  for  prepar- 
ing an  amulet,  or  phylacterion,  for  the  ^undertaking"; 


40      THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

for  this  a  "  sweet-smelling "  loadstone  should  be  chosen, 
and  should  be  cut  heart-shaped  and  engraved  with  the 
figure  of  Hecate.16 

A  costly  Chinese  amulet  consists  of  the  diamond,  the 
ruby,  and  the  emerald,  to  which  are  added  the  pearl  and 
coral;  Oriental  sapphire  and  topaz  are  classed  with  the 
ruby.  An  amulet  containing  these  five  substances  is 
thought  to  combine  the  protecting  influences  of  the  dif- 
ferent deities  presiding  over  them,  and  is  supposed  to 
lengthen  the  wearer 's  life.  Sometimes  these  five  princely 
gems  are  wrapped  up  in  a  paper  bearing  the  names  of 
the  respective  divinities,  to  which  is  added  the  name  of 
the  moon,  and  those  of  the  twenty-seven  constellations, 
or  houses  of  the  moon.  Such  an  amulet,  suspended  at 
the  entrance  of  a  house,  is  believed  to  afford  protection 
to  the  inmates.17 

In  the  language  of  the  ancient  Mexicans  blood  was 
called  chalcMuhatl,  or  "  water  of  precious  stones, "  as 
the  quintessence  of  what  were  regarded  as  the  most 
costly  things.18  Although  such  poetic  designations  are 
in  modern  times  mere  figures  of  speech,  among  primi- 
tive peoples  they  are  more  significant,  and  it  is  highly 
probable  that  with  the  Aztecs,  as  with  other  peoples,  the 
wearing  of  precious  stones  was  believed  to  enrich  the 
blood  and  thus  to  promote  health  and  vigor,  for  "the 
Jblopd  is  the  life." 

"That  gems  had  sex  is  asserted  by  the  earliest  writers 

16  Kropatsehek,  "De  amulet orum  apud  antiques  usu/'  GrypHae, 
1907,  p.  24  (Paris  papyrus,  2630). 

"Surindro  Mohun  Tagore,  "Mani  Mala/'  Pt.  II,  Calcutta,  1881, 
p.  943. 

18  Seler,  "  Codex  Borgia :  Eine  altmexicanisehe  Bilderschrif  t,"  Ber- 
lin, 1904,  vol.  i,  p.  16. 


H\   permission  nf  W.  Griggs  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  London. 

MAHARAJA  RTTNJIT  SINGH,  RULER  OF  THE  PUNJAB,  1791  TO  1839. 

Ht>  holds  :i  "rosary"  of  emeralds,  stones  prized  in  the  Orient  as  antidotes  to  poison,     From  a 
portrait  byJhvan  Rain,  taken  at  Rupar  in  1S!)1.  From  the  Journal  of  Indian  Art  and  Industry. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  41 

as  well  as  by  many  of  those  of  a  later  date.  While  this 
must  usually  be  understood  as  a  poetic  way  of  indicating 
a  difference  in  shade,  the  darker  varieties  being  regarded 
as  male  and  the  lighter  ones  as  female,  Theophrastus, 
the  earliest  Greek  writer  on  precious  stones,  clearly 
shows  that  this  sexual  distinction  was  sometimes  seri- 
ously made,  for  he  declares  that,  wonderful  as  it  might 
seem,  certain,  gems  were  capable  of  producing  offspring. 
This  strange  idea  was  still  prevalent  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  and  ingenious  explanations  were  sometimes 
given  of  the  cause  of  this  phenomenon,  as  appears  in 
the  following  account  by  Kueus  of  germinating  dia- 
monds:19 

It  has  recently  been  related  to  me  by  a  lady  worthy  of  credence, 
that  a  noblewoman,  descended  from  the  illustrious  house  of  Luxemburg, 
had  in  her  possession  two  diamonds  which  she  had  inherited,  and 
which  produced  others  in  such  miraculous  wise,  that  whoever  examined 
them  at  stated  intervals  judged  that  they  had  engendered  progeny  like 
themselves.  The  cause  of  this  (if  it  be  permissible  to  philosophize 
regarding  such  a  strange  matter)  would  seem  to  be  that  the  celestial 
energy  in  the  parent  stones,  qualified  by  some  one  as  "vis  adaman- 
tifica"  first  changes  the  surrounding  air  into  water,  or  some  similar 
substance,  and  then  condenses  and  hardens  this  into  the  diamond  gem. 

The  pearl-fishers  of  Borneo  are  said  to  preserve 
carefully  every  ninth  pearl  they  find,  and  place  them 
in  a  bottle  with  two  grains  of  rice  for  each  pearl,  be- 
lieving, in  spite  of  all  evidence  to  the  contrary,  that  these 
particular  pearls  have  the  power  to  engender  and  breed 
others.  Custom  and  superstition  require  that  each 
bottle  shall  have  the  finger  of  a  dead  man  as  a  stopper. 

Talismanic  influences  are  taken  into  account  in  the 

"Franeisci  Ruei,  "  De  gemmis,"  Tiguri,  1566,  f.  4. 


42       THE  CUBIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


wearing  of  jewelry  by  Orientals,  two  bracelets  being 
frequently  worn  lest  one  member  should  become  jealous 
of  the  other,  thus  disturbing  the  equilibrium  of  the 
whole  organism.  The  piercing  of  the  ears  for  ear-rings 
has  been  attributed  to  a  desire  to  chastise  the  ear  for 
its  indiscretion  in  hearing  secrets  not  intended  to  be 
heard,  while  costly  and  ornamental  ear-rings  are  set  in 

the  ears  to  console  those 
parts  of  our  anatomy  for 
the    suffering    caused    by 
the  operation  of  piercing. 
In  the  case  of  necklaces  of . 
brilliant    metal,    adorned 
with  pendants  of  glittering 
stones,  the  talismanic  pur- 
pose is  to  attract  the  be- 
holder's   gaze    and    thus 
ward  off  the  mysterious 
and     dangerous     emana- 
tions set  forth  by  the  Evil 
Eye;  the  necklace,  or  its 
ornaments,  are  supposed 
to  perform  a  similar  ser- 
vice to  that  rendered  by 
the    lightning-rod    in    di- 
verting  the   electric   dis- 
charge. 

At  an  early  date  the  Christian  Church  registered  its 
opposition  to  the  practice  of  wearing  amulets.  At  the 
Council  of  Laodicea,  held  in  355  A.D.,  it  was  decreed,  in 
the  thirty-fourth  canon,  that  priests  and  clerks  must  be 
neither  enchanters,  mathematicians,  nor  astrologers,  and 
that  they  must  not  make  "what  are  called  amulets,"  for 
these  were  fetters  of  the  soul,  and  all  who  wore  them 


PEARL  DEALER. 

From  the  "Hortus  Sanitatis"  of  Johannia 
de  Cuba  [Strassburg,  Jean  Pryss,  ca.  1483]:  De 
lapidibus,  cap.  Ixxviii.  Author's  library. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  43 

should  be  cast  out  of  the  church.20  This  emphatic  con- 
demnation of  the  prevailing  usage  was  not  so  much  a 
protest  against  superstition  per  se  as  against  pagan 
superstition,  for  almost  if  not  all  the  amulets  in  use  in 
the  early  centuries  of  our  era  bore  heathen  or  heretical 
symbols  or  inscriptions.  In  later  times  the  invincible 
tendency  to  wear  objects  of  this  character  found  expres- 
sion in  the  use  of  those  associated  with  Christian  belief, 
such,  for  instance,  as  relics  of  the  saints,  medallions 
blessed  by  the  priest,  etc. 

The  amulets  of  the  Jews  differed  in  many  respects 
from  those  used  by  Christians.  The  Mosaic  prohibition 
of  representations  of  human  or  animal  forms  imposed 
great  restrictions  upon  the  employment  of  engraved 
gems,  and  the  Jew  was  only  permitted  to  wear  or  carry 
those  bearing  merely  characters  of  mystic  or  symbolic 
significance.  In  talmudic  times  amulets  were  sometimes 
hidden  in  a  hollow  staff,  and  they  were  believed  to  have 
more  power  when  concealed  from  view  in  this  way. 
They  were  like  concealed  weapons,  and  it  was  said  that, 
as  a  father  might  give  such  an  amulet  to  a  son,  so  God 
had  given  the  Law  to  Israel  for  its  protection.21 

In  the  Old  French  didactic  poem,  the  Roman  de  la 
Rose,  composed  in  the  twelfth  century,  appear  traces  of 
the  belief  in  the  magic  properties  of  precious  stones. 
Chaucer  translated  this  poem  into  English  in  the  four- 
teenth century  and  we  quote  the  following  lines  from 
his  version.  They  describe  the  costume  of  the  symbolical 
figure,  Eiches. 

"Histoire  critique  des  pratiques  superstitieuses;  par  un  pretre  de 
1'Oratoire,"  Paris,  1702,  p.  320. 

n  Blum,  "  Das  alt  jiidische  Zaiiberwesea/'  Strassburs,  1898,  p.  91. 


44       THE  CUKIOUS  LOBJB  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Richesse  a  girdle  hadde  upon 

The  bokel  of  it  was  of  a  stoon 

Of  Vertue  greet,  and  mochel  of  might. 

That  stoon  was  greetly  for  to  love, 

And  til  a  riehe  mannes  bihove 

Worth  al  the  gold  in  Borne  and  Fryse. 

The  mordaunt22  wrought  in  noble  wyser 
Was  of  a  stoon  full  precious, 
That  was  so  f  yn  and  vertuous, 
That  hool  a  man  it  coude  make 
Of  palasye  and  of  tooth-ake.23 

At  the  trial,  in  1232,  of  Hubert  de  Burgh,  chief  jus- 
ticiar,  one  of  the  charges  brought  against  him  was  that 
he  had  surreptitiously  removed  from  the  English  treas- 
ury an  exceedingly  valuable  stone,  possessing  the  virtue 
of  rendering  the  wearer  invincible  in  battle,  and  had 
given  it  to  Llewellyn,  King  of  Wales,  the  enemy  of  his 
own  sovereign,  Henry  III  of  England  ( 1207-1272  ).24 
This  must  have  taken  place  about  1228,  when  Henry  was 
engaged  in  a  war  with  the  "Welsh. 

That  precious  stones  could,  under  certain  circum- 
stances, lose  the  powers  inherent  in  them  was  firmly  be- 
lieved in  medieval  times.  If  handled  or  even  gazed  upon 
by  impure  persons  and  sinners,  some  of  the  virtues  of 
the  stones  departed  from  them.  Indeed,  there  were  those 
who  held^that  precious  stones,  in  common  with  all  created 
things,  were  corrupted  by  the  sin  of  Adam.  Therefore, 
in  order  to  restore  their  pristine  virtue  it  might  become 

22  A  projection  serving  to  fasten  down  the  belt. 

23  Compleat  Works  of  Geoffrey  Chaucer,  ed.  Skeat,  Oxford,  1849, 
vol.  i,  p.  139. 

34  Matthaei  Paris,  "  Historia  major,"  London,  1684,  p.  318. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  45 

necessary  to  sanctify  and  consecrate  them,  and  a  kind  of 
ritual  serving  this  purpose  has  been  preserved  in  several 
old  treatises.  The  subject  is  sufficiently  curious  to  war- 
rant here  the  repetition  of  one  of  these  forms.  The  stones 
which  required  consecration  were  to  be  wrapped  in  a 
perfectly  clean  linen  cloth  and  placed  on  the  altar.  Then 
three  masses  were  to  be  said  over  them,  and  the  priest 
who  celebrated  the  third  mass,  clad  in  his  sacred  vest- 
ments, was  to  pronounce  the  following  benediction:25 

The  Lord  be  with  us.  And  with  thy  spirit.  Let  us  pray.  Almighty 
God  and  Father,  who  manifestedst  thy  virtue  to  Elias  by  certain 
senseless  creatures,  who  orderedst  Moses,  Thy  servant,  that,  among 
the  sacerdotal  vestments,  he  should  adorn  the  Rational  of  Judgment 
with  twelve  precious  stones,  and  showedst  to  John,  the  evangelist,  the 
famous  city  of  Jerusalem,  essentially  constituted  by  the  same  stones, 
and  who  hadst  the  power  to  raise  up  sons  to  Abraham  from  stones, 
we  humbly  beseech  Thy  majesty  since  Thou  hast  elected  one  of  the 
stones  to  be  a  dwelling-place  for  the  majesty  of  Thy  heart,  that  Thou 
wilt  deign  to  bless  and  sanctify  these  stones  by  the  sanctifieation  and 
incarnation  of  Thy  name,  so  that  they  may  be  sanctified,  blessed, 
and  consecrated,  and  may  receive  from  Thee  the  effect  of  the  virtues 
Thou  hast  granted  to  them,  according  to  their  Mnds,  and  which  the 
experience  of  the  learned  has  shown  to  have  been  given  by  Thee;  so 
that  whoever  may  wear  them  on  him  may  feel  the  presence  of  Thy 
power  and  may  be  worthy  to  receive  the  gift  of  Thy  grace  and  the 
protection  of  Thy  power.  Through  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  Son,  in  whom 
dwells  all  sanetification,  benediction,  and  consecration;  who  lives  with 
Thee  and  reigns  as  God  for  all  eternity,  Amen.  Thanks  be  to  God. 

Konrad  of  Megenburg  also  gives  this  benediction  in 
Ms  "Buch  der  Natur." 

Luther  tells  the  following  humorous  tale  of  a  Jew 
who  was  a  vender  of  amulets : 

tt"Le  Grand  Lapidaire"  of  Jean  de  Mandeville,  Vienna,  1862, 
pp.  126-128. 


46   THE  CUKIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

There  is  sorcery  among  the  Jews  and  their  sorcerers  think:  "If 
we  succeed,  it  is  well  for  us;  if  we  fail,  a  Christian  is  the  sufferer; 
what  care  we  for  that?"  .  .  .  But  Duke  Albert  of  Saxony  acted 
shrewdly.  When  a  Jew  offered  him  a  button,  inscribed  with  curious 
characters  and  signs,  and  asserted  that  this  button  gave  protection 
from  cuts,  thrusts,  and  shots,  the  Duke  answered:  "I  will  test  that 
upon  thyself,  0  Jew."  Hereupon  he  led  the  man  to  the  gate,  hung 
the  button  at  his  neck,  drew  his  own  sword,  and  thrust  the  fellow 
through  the  body.  "  The  same  fate  would  have  happened  to  me,"  said 
the  Duke,  "  as  has  happened  to  thee."  M 

Buskin,  with  his  keen  poetic  insight  into  the  working 
of  natural  laws,  saw  in  the  formation  of  crystals  the 
action  of  both  "force  of  heart"  and  " steadiness  of  pur- 
pose/' He  thus  found  himself,  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously, in  agreement  with  the  old  fancies  which  attrib- 
uted a  species  of  personality  to  precious  stones.  Just 
as  the  Hindu  regarded  an  imperfectly  shaped  crystal  as 
a  bringer  of  ill  luck  to  the  owner,  so  Ruskin  sees  in  such 
a  crystal  the  signs  of  an  innate  "immorality,"  if  we  may 
use  this  expression.  Of  a  crystal  aggregation  of  this 
type  he  writes  as  follows : 27 

Opaque,  rough-surfaced,  jagged  on  the  edge,  distorted  in  the 
spine,  it  exhibits  a  quite  human  image  of  decrepitude  and  dishonour; 
but  the  worst  of  all  signs  of  its  decay  and  helplessness  is,  that  half-way 
up,  a  parasite  crystal,  smaller,  but  just  as  sickly,  has  rooted  itself  in 
the  side  of  the  larger  one,  eating  out  a  cavity  round  its  root,  and  then 
growing  backwards,  or  downwards,  contrary  to  the  direction  of  the 
main  crystal.  Yet  I  cannot  trace  the  least  difference  in  purity  of 
substance  between  the  first  most  noble  stone,  and  this  ignoble  and 
dissolute  one.  The  impurity  of  the  last  is  in  its  will  or  want  of  will. 

There  is  established  a  very  pretty  custom  of  assign- 
ing to  the  various  masculine  and  feminine  Christian 

28 Giidermann,    "Das    jiidische    Unterriehtswesen,"    Wien,    1873, 
p.  225. 

*  "  Ethics  of  the  Dust,"  New  York,  1886,  p.  96. 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  47 

names  a  particular  gem,  and  such  name-gems  are  often 
set  together  with  natal  and  talismanic  gems  and  with 
gems  of  one's  patron  saint.  It  is  considered  an  exceed- 
ingly good  omen  when  it  happens  that  all  three  gems  are 
of  the  same  sort. 

GEMS  FOB  FEMININE  NAMES. 

Adelaide Andalusite 

Agnes    Agate 

Alice    Alexandrite 

Anne   Amber 

Beatrice  Basalt 

Belle    Bloodstone 

Bertha     Beryl 

Caroline Chalcedony 

Catherine    Cat's-eye 

Charlotte     Carbuncle 

Clara   Carnelian 

Constance Crystal 

Dorcas  Diamond 

Dorothy     Diaspore 

Edith    Eye-agate 

Eleanor   Elaeolite 

Elizabeth Emerald 

Ellen    Essonite 

Emily Euclase 

Emma Epidote 

Florence    Fluorite 

Frances  Fire-opal 

Gertrude    Garnet 

Gladys  Golden  Beryl 

Grace  Grossularite 

Hannah     Heliotrope 

Helen  Hyacinth 


48   THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Irene    lolite 

Jane    Jacinth 

Jessie Jasper 

Josephine    Jadeite 

Julia    Jade 

Louise    Lapis-lazuli 

Lucy Lepidolite 

Margaret   Moss-agate 

Martha    Malachite 

Marie Moldavite 

Mary    Moonstone 

Olive    Olivine 

Pauline    Pearl 

Rose   Ruby 

Sarah   Spodumene 

Susan     Sapphire 

Therese    Turquoise 

GEMS  FOR  MASCULINE  NAMES. 

Abraham    Aragonite 

Adolphus     Albite 

Adrian   Andalusite 

Albert    Agate 

Alexander    Alexandrite 

Alfred    Almandine 

Ambrose Amber 

Andrew   Aventurine 

Archibald    Axinite 

Arnold Aquamarine 

Arthur    Amethyst 

Augustus  Agahnatolite 

Benjamin    Bloodstone 

Bernard     Beryl 


TALISMANS  AND  AMULETS  49 

Charles     Chalcedony 

Christian    Crystal 

Claude    Cyanite 

Clement   Chrysolite 

Conrad     Croeidolite 

Constantine     Chrysoberyl 

Cornelius     Cat's-eye 

Dennis   Demantoid 

Dorian    Diamond 

Ednrund     Emerald 

Edward    Epidote 

Ernest    Euclase 

Eugene     Essonite 

Ferdinand Feldspar 

Francis    Fire-opal 

Frederick     Fluorite 

George     Garnet 

Gilbert    G-adolinite 

Godfrey     Gagates 

Gregory    Grossularite 

Gustavus    Galactides 

Guy    Gold  quartz 

Henry Heliolite 

Herbert    Hyacinth 

Horace     Harlequin  opal 

Hubert     Heliotrope 

Hugh    Heliodor 

Humphrey    Hypersthene 

James  Jade 

Jasper  Jasper 

Jerome     Jadeite 

John Jacinth 

Joseph  Jargoon 

Julius Jet 

4 


50       THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Lambert Labradoiite 

Lawrence Lapis-lazuli 

Leo Lepidolite 

Leonard     Loadstone 

Mark    Malachite 

Matthew    Moonstone 

Maurice   Moss-agate 

Michael    Mierocline 

Nathan     Natrolite 

Nicholas    Nephrite 

Oliver     Onyx 

Osborne   Orthoelase 

Osmond     Opal 

Oswald Obsidian 

Patrick    Pyrope 

Paul   Pearl 

Peter    Porphyry 

Philip    Prase 

Ralph     Rubellite 

Raymond Rose-quartz 

Richard   Rutile 

Robert    Rock-crystal 

Roger Rhodonite 

Roland     Ruby 


Stephen     Sapphi 


ire 


Theodore   Tourmaline 

Thomas    Topaz 

Valentine Vesuvianite 

Vincent   Verd-antique 

Walter Wood-opal 

William , Willemite 


AFRICAN  AGATE  CHARMS. 
Made  of  Brazilian  agate  at  Oberstein,  Germany,  for  African  trade.    Field  Museum,  Chicago, 


Ill 

t^e  Caltemattic  ajse  of 


author  of  "Lithica"  celebrates  the  merits  of  the 
agate  in  the  following  lines  :  2 

Adorned  with  this,  them  woman's  heart  shall  gain, 
And  by  persuasion  thy  desire  obtain; 
And  if  of  men  thou  aught  demand,  shalt  come 
With  all  thy  wish  fulfilled  rejoicing  home. 

This  idea  is  elaborated  by  Marbodus,  Bishop  of 
Bennes,  in  the  eleventh  century,  who  declares  that  agates 
make  the  wearers  agreeable  and  persuasive  and  also  give 
them  the  favor  of  GTod.3  Still  other  virtues  are  recounted 
by  Camillo  Leonardo,  who  claims  that  these  stones  give 
victory  and  strength  to  their  owners  and  avert  tempests 
and  lightning.4 

The  agate  possessed  some  wonderful  virtues,  for  its 
wearer  was  guarded  from  all  dangers,  was  enabled  to 
vanquish  all  terrestrial  obstacles  and  was  endowed  with 
a  bold  heart  ;  this  latter  prerogative  was  presumably  the 

xSee  also  the  writer's  pamphlet:  "The  Folk-Lore  of  Precious 
Stones,"  Chicago,  1894;  a  paper  read  before  the  Folk-Lore  Congress 
held  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exhibition,  and  describing  the  Kurtz 
Collection  exhibited  in  the  Anthropological  Building  there.  This  col- 
lection is  now  in  the  Field  Museum,  Chicago. 

3  Bang's  version  in  his  "Natural  History  of  Precious  Stones," 
London,  1865,  p.  392. 

'Marbodei,  "De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  fol.  10. 

*  Camilla  Leonardi,  "Speculum  lapidum,"  Venetia,  1502,  fol.  22. 

51 


52      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

secret  of  Ms  success.  Some  of  these  wonder-working 
agates  were  black  with  white  veins,  while  others  again 
were  entirely  white.5 

The  wearing  of  agate  ornaments  was  even  believed  to 
be  a  cure  for  insomnia  and  was  thought  to  insure  pleas- 
ant dreams.    In  spite  of  these  supposed  advantages,  Car- 
dano  asserts  that  while  wearing  this  stone  he  had  many 
misfortunes  which  he  could  not  trace  to  any  fault  or 
error  of  his  own.     He,  therefore,  abandoned  its  use; 
although  he  states  that  it  made  the  wearer  more  prudent 
in  his  actions.6    Indeed,  Cardano  appears  to  have  tested 
the  talismanic  worth  of  gems  according  to  a  plan  of  his 
own, — namely,  by  wearing  them  in  turn  and  noting  the 
degree  of  good  or  ill  fortune  he  experienced.    By  this 
method  he  apparently  arrived  at  positive  results  based 
on  actual  experience;  but  he  quite  failed  to  appreciate 
the  fact  that  no  real  connection  of  any  kind  existed  be- 
tween the  stones  and  their  supposed  effects.    In  another 
treatise  this  author  takes  a  somewhat  more  favorable 
view  of  the  agate,  and  proclaims  that  all  varieties  render 
those  who  wear  them  "temperate,  continent,  and  cau- 
tious ;  therefore  they  are  all  useful  for  acquiring  riches.7 
According  to  the  text  accompanying  a  curious  print 
published  in  Vienna  in  1709,  the  attractive  qualities  of 
the  so-called  coral-agate  were  to  be  utilized  in  art  air- 
ship, the  invention  of  a  Brazilian  priest.    Over  the  head 
of  the  aviator,  as  he  sat  in  the  air-ship,  there  was  a  net- 
work of  iron  to  which  large  coral-agates  were  attached. 

5Albertus  Magnus,  "Le  Grand  Albert  des  secretz  des  vertus  des 
Herbes,  Pierres  et  Bestes.  Et  aultre  livre  des  Merveilles  du  Monde, 
d'aulcuns  effetz  causez  daulcunes  bestes/7  Turin,  Bernard  du  mont  du 
Chat  (e.  1515).  Liv.  ii,  fol.  8  recto. 

*  Cardani,  "  D0  subtilitate,"  Basilese,  1560,  p.  460. 

TCardani,  "De  gemmis/7  Basilese,  1585;  p.  323. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PKECIOUS  STONES         53 

These  were  expected  to  help  in  drawing  up  the  ship, 
when,  through  the  heat  of  the  sun's  rays,  the  stones  had 
acquired  magnetic  power.  The  main  lifting  force  was 


AN  AIR-SHIP  OF  1709. 

In  the  network  above  the  figure  were  to  be  set  coral-agates,  supposed  to  possess  such 
magnetic  powers  as  to  keep  the  craft  aloft.  From  Valentin!,  "  Museum  Museorum,"  Pt« 
III,  Franckfurt  am  Mayn.  1714,  p.  35.  Author's  library. 

provided  by  powerful  magnets  enclosed  in  two  metal 
spheres ;  how  the  magnets  themselves  were  to  be  raised 
is  not  explained.8 

8Valentini,  "Museum  museorum  oder  die  vollstandige  Sehau- 
Biikae,"  Franckfurt  am  Mayn,  1714,  vol.  ii,  pt.  3,  p.  34;  figure  of  air- 
ship on  p.  35. 


54      THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

About  the  -middle  of  the  past  century,  the  demand  for 

agate  amulets  was  so  great  in  the  Soudan  that  the  ex- 

tensive agate-cutting  establishments  at  Idar  and  Ober- 

stein  in  Germany  were  almost  exclusively  busied  with 

filling  orders  for  this  trade.     Brown  or  black  agates 

having  a  white  ring  in  the  centre  were  chiefly  used  for 

the  fabrication  of  these  amulets,  the  white  ring  being 

regarded  as  a  symbol  of  the  eye.    Hence  the  amulets 

were  supposed  to  neutralize  the  power  of  the  Evil  Bye, 

or  else  to  be   emblematic  of  the  watchfulness   of   a 

guardian  spirit.     The  demand  for  these  amulets  has 

fallen  off  greatly,  but  when  it  was  at  its  height  single 

firms  exported  them  to  the  value  of  40,000  thaler  s  ($30,- 

000)  annually,  the  total  export  amounting  to  hundreds 

of  thousands  of  thalers.    Even  at  present  a  considerable 

trade  in  these  objects  is  still  carried  on.    That  there  is 

a  fashion  in  amulets  is  shown  by  the  fact  that,  while  red, 

white,  and  green  amulets  are  in  demand  on  the  west  coast 

of  Africa,  only  white  stones  are  favored  for  this  use  in 

Northern  Africa, 


There  are  a  few  talismanic  stones  which  have  gained 
their  repute  in  our  time,  notably  the  alexandrite,  a 
variety  of  chrysoberyl  found  in  Bussia,  in  the  emerald 
mines  on  the  Takowaya,  in  the  Ural  region.  The  dis- 
covery of  this  variety  is  stated  to  have  been  made  in  1831 
on  the  day  Alexander  II  (then  heir-apparent)  reached 
his  majority,  and  it  was  therefore  named  alexandrite,  by 
Nordenskjold,  the  mineralogist.  The  stone  as  found  in 
gem  form  rarely  weighs  over  from  one  to  three  carats, 
and  is  characterized  by  a  marked  pleochroism  of  a  splen- 
did green  changing  to  a  beautiful  columbine  red.  But  in 
Ceylon  much  larger  gems  are  found,  some  few  weighing 


1.  Amber  ornament,  perforated,  from  Assyrian  grave. 

2.  Amber  ring  ornament  from  Pompeii. 

3.  Large  annular  bead  of  amber  from  Mexico.  Aztec  work. 

4.  Amber  wedding  necklace.   Eighteenth  century.    Baltic  Provinces. 

5.  Amber  beads.   Worn  by  African  natives. 


TALISMANIC  USB  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         55 

60  carats  each,  although  rarely  of  more  than  one  or  two 
carats.  The  color  is  of  a  darker  and  more  bottle-like 
green,  and  the  change  by  night  renders  them  darker  and 
more  granitized  than  the  Russian  stones,  which  are  ex- 
tremely rare.  As  red  and  green  are  the  Russian  national 
colors,  the  alexandrite  has  become  a  great  favorite  with 
the  Russians,  and  is  looked  upon  as  a  stone  of  good  omen 
in  that  country.  Such,  however,  is  its  beauty  as  a  gem 
that  its  fame  is  by  no  means  confined  to  Russia,  and  it 
is  eagerly  sought  in  other  lands  as  well 


Amber  was  one  of  the  first  substances  us£d  by  man 
for  decoration,  and  it  was  also  employed  at  a  very  early 
period  for  amulets  and  for  medicinal  purposes.  More 
or  less  shapeless  pieces  of  rough  amber,  marked  with 
circular  depressions,  have  been  found  in  Prussia, 
Schleswig-Holstein,  and  Denmark,  in  deposits  of  the 
Stone  Age.  These  depressions  are  sometimes  regularly 
disposed  and  -at  other  times  irregularly,  and  seem  in- 
tended to  imitate  similar  depressions  found  in  large 
stones  and  rocks,  often  the  work  of  man's  hand,  but 
occasionally  the  result  of  natural  causes.  In  Hoernes' 
opinion  they  marked  the  resting  place  of  the  spirit  or 
spirits  believed  to  animate  the  stone,  and  hence  it  is 
probable  that  the  amber  fragments  were  used  as  talis- 
mans or  amulets.9 

For  the  ancient  Greek  poets,  the  grains  of  amber 
were  the  tears  annually  shed  over  the  death  of  their 
brother  Phaethon  by  the  Heliades  after  grief  had  meta- 

'  Hoernes,  "  Urgeschiehte  der  bildenden  Kunst,"  Vienna,  1898,  p. 
376.  Figured  in  S.  Mullens  "  Ordn.  af  Damn.  Olds./'  i,  PL  XV,  Figs. 
252  sq. 


56      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 


morphosed  them  into  poplars  growing  on  the  banks  of 
the  Eridanus  (the  modern  river  Po).10  In  a  lost  tragedy 
of  Sophocles,  he  saw  the  origin  of  amber  in  the  tears 
shed  over  the  death  of  Meleager  by  certain  Indian  birds. 
For  Nicias  it  was  the  "  juice"  or  essence  of  the  brilliant 

rays  of  the  setting 
sun,  congealed  in  the 
sea  and  then  cast 
up  upon  the  shore. 
A  more  prosaic  ex- 
planation likened  am- 
ber to  resin,  and  re- 
garded it  as  being 
an  exudation  from 
the  trunks  of  certain 
trees.  Indeed,  the 
poetic  fancy  we  have 
just  noted  is  the  same 
idea  clothed  in  a  met- 
aphorical or  mytho- 
logical form.  Another 
fancy  represented 
amber  to  be  the  solid- 
ified urine  of  the  lynx, 
hence  one  of  its 
names,  lyncurius.^ 
The  brilliant  and  beautiful  yellow  of  certain  ambers 
and  the  fact  that  this  material  was  very  easily  worked 
served  to  make  its  use  more  general,  and  it  soon  became 
a  favorite  object  of  trade  and  barter  between  the  peoples 
of  the  Baltic  Coast  and  the  more  civilized  peoples  to  the 

100vidii,  "Metamorphoses,"  lib.  ii,  11.  340  sqq.  Some  have  pro- 
posed to  read1  Redanus  instead  of  Eridanus  and  have  seen  in  the  for- 
mer name  the  designation  of  a  stream  flowing  into  the  Vistula. 

u  Plinii,  "  Naturalis  Historia,"  lib.  xxxvii,  cap.  7. 


THE  TREE  THAT  EXUDES  AMBER. 

Prom  the  "Hortus  Sanitatis,"  of  Johaunis  de 
Cuba  [Strassburg,  Jean  Pryss,  ca.  1483];  De  lapidi- 
bus»  cap.  Ixx.  Author's  library. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PBECIOUS  STONES          57 

south.  Schliemann  found  considerable  amber  from  the 
Baltic  in  the  graves  of  Mycenae,  and  the  frequent  allu- 
sions to  it  in  the  works  of  Latin  authors  of  the  first  and 
succeeding  centuries  testify  to  its  popularity  in  the 
Eoman  world. 

Probably  the  very  earliest  allusion  in  literature  to 
the  ornamental  use  of  amber  appears  in  Homer's  Odys- 
sey,12 where  we  read : 

Eurymachus 

Received  a  golden  necklace,  richly  wrought, 
And  set  with  amber  beads,  that  glowed  as  if 
With  sunshine.    To  Eurydamas  there  came 
A  pair  of  ear-rings,  each  a  triple  gem, 
Daintily  fashioned  and  of  exquisite  grace. 
Two  servants  bore  them. 

Amber  ingeniously  carved  into  animal  forms  has  been 
discovered  in  tumuli  at  Indersoen,  Norway.13  These 
curious  objects  were  worn  as  amulets,  and  the  peculiar 
forms  were  supposed  to  enhance  the  power  of  the  mate- 
rial, giving  it  special  virtues  and  rendering  it  of  greater 
value  and  efficacy. 

Pieces  of  amber  with  singular  natural  markings  were 
greatly  esteemed,  especially  when  these  markings  sug- 
gested the  initials  of  the  name  of  some  prominent  person. 
Thus,  we  are  told  that  Friedrich  Wilhelm  I  of  Prussia 
paid  to  a  dealer  a  high  price  for  a  piece  of  amber  on 
which  appeared  his  initials.  The  same  dealer  had  an- 
other piece  on  which  he  read  the  initials  of  Charles  XII 
of  Sweden.  When  he  received  the  news  of  this  king's 
death,  he  bitterly  lamented  having  lost  the  opportunity 
of  selling  him  amber  for  a  high  price.  But  he  was 
cleverly  consoled  by  Nathaniel  Sendal,  the  relator  of  the 

13  Bk.  xviii,  11,  295-298,  trans,  of  William  (Mien  Bryant. 
18  Du  Chaillu,  "  The  Viking  Age,"  New  York,  1889,  vol.  ii,  p.  314. 
(Figs.  1210,  1211,  1212.) 


58       THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

story,  who  easily  persuaded  the  dealer  that  the  markings 
could  just  as  well  signify  the  initials  of  some  other  name. 
Sendal  adduces  this  as  a  proof  that  the  letters  read  on 
such  pieces  of  amber  were  as  much  the  product  of  the 
observer's  imagination  as  of  the  markings  on  the  mate- 
rial.14 Those  who  secured  amber  so  mysteriously  marked 
by  Nature's  hand  probably  felt  that  they  had  obtained  a 
talisman  of  great  power,  especially  destined  for  their 
use. 


"While  the  special  and  traditional  virtue  of  the  ame- 
tliyst  was  the  cure  of  drunkenness,  many  other  qualities 
were  attributed  to  this  stone  in  the  fifteenth  century. 
For  Leonardo,15  it  had  the-  power  to  control  evil  thoughts, 
to  quicken  the  intelligence,  and  to  render  men  shrewd  in 
business  matters.  An  amethyst  worn  on  the  person  had 
a  sobering  ef£  ect,  not  only  upon  those  who  had  partaken 
too  freely  of  the  cup  that  intoxicates,  but  also  upon  those 
over-excited  by  the  love-passion.  Lastly,  it  preserved 
soldiers  from  harm  and  gave  them  victory  over  their 
enemies,  and  was  of  great  assistance  to  hunters  in  the 
capture  of  wild  animals.  The  amethyst  shared  with 
many  other  stones  the  power  to  preserve  the  wearer  from 
contagion.16 

A  pretty  legend  in  regard  to  the  amethyst  has  been 
happily  treated  in  French  verse.  The  god  Bacchus, 
offended  at  some  neglect  that  he  had  suffered,  was  deter- 
mined to  avenge  himself,  and  declared  that  the  first  per- 
son he  should  meet,  when  he  and  his  train  passed  along, 
should  be  devoured  by  his  tigers.  Fate  willed  it  that  this 

M  Sendelii,  "  Eleetrologiro,"  Elbingse,  1725,  Pt.  I,  p.  12,  note. 
15  Camilli  Leonard!,  "  Speculum  lapidum,"  Venetia,  1502,  f  al.  22. 
M  Johannis    de    Cuba,    "Hortus    Sanitatis,"    [Strassfcurg-,    1483] 
tractatus  de  lapibus,  cap.  vii, 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         59 

luckless  mortal  was  a  beautiful  and  pure  maiden  named 
Amethyst,  who  was  on  her  way  to  worship  at  the  shrine 
of  Diana.  As  the  ferocious  beasts  sprang  toward  her, 
she  sought  the  protection  of  the  goddess,  and  was  saved 
from  a  worse  fate  by  being  turned  into  a  pure  white  stone. 
Eecognizing  the  miracle  and  repenting  of  his  cruelty, 
Bacchus  poured  the  juice  of  the  grape  as  a  libation  over 
the  petrified  body  of  the  maiden,  thus  giving  to  the  stone 
the  beautiful  violet  hue  that  so  charms  the  beholder  's 
eye.17 

From  the  various  descriptions  of  this  stone  given  by 
ancient  writers,  it  appears  that  one  of  the  varieties  was 
probably  the  purple  almandine  or  Indian  garnet,  and  it 
is  not  improbable  that  we  have  here  the  reason  for  the 
name  amethyst  and  for  the  supposed  virtue  of  the  stone 
in  preserving  from  drunkenness.  For  if  water  were 
poured  into  a  vessel  made  of  a  reddish  stone,  the  liquid 
would  appear  like  wine,  and  could  nevertheless  be  drunk 
with  impunity. 


Arnoldus  Saxo,  writing  about  1220,  after  reciting  the 
virtues  of  the  beryl  as  given  by  Marbodus,  after  Evax 
and  Isidorus,  reports  in  addition  that  the  stone  gave  help 
against  foes  in  battle  or  in  litigation;  the  ^  wearer  was 
rendered  unconquerable  and  at  the  same  time  amiable, 
while  his  intellect  was  quickened  and  he  was  cured  of 
laziness.18  In  the  old  German  translation  of  Thomas  de 
Cantimpre's  "De  Proprietatibus  Eerum,"  we  read  that 

1TBelleau,  «  (Euvres  poetiques,"  ed.  Marty-Laveaux,  Paris,  1878, 
vol.  ii,  pp.  172  sqq.  The  poem  in  which  this  tale  occurs^  is  the 
«  Amours  et  nouveaux  eschanges  des  pierres  prScieuses,"  "written  in 
1576  and  dedicated  to  Henri  in.  . 

"Rose,  "  Aristotles  d©  lapidibus  und  Arnoldus  Saxo,    m 
fur  D.  Alt.,  New  Series,  vol.  vi,  p.  431. 


60       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  beryl  reawakens  the  love  of  married  people  (er  hat 
auch  die  art  daz  er  der  elaut  lieb  wiederpringt).19 


The  heliotrope  or  bloodstone  was  supposed  to  impart 
a  reddish  hue  to  the  water  in  which  it  was  placed,  so 

that  when  the  rays  of 
the  sun  fell  upon  the 
water  they  gave  forth 
red  reflections.  From 
this  fancy  was  devel- 
oped the  strange  ex- 
aggeration that  this 
stone  had  the  power  to 
turn  the  sun  itself  a 
blood-red,  and  to  cause 
thunder,  lightning, 
rain,  and  tempest.  The 
old  treatise  of  Dami- 
geron  relates  this  of 
the  bloodstone,  adding 
that  it  announced 
future  events  by  pro- 
ducing rain  and  by 
"audible  oracles. " 
Probably  the  con- 
jurors, before  pro- 
ceeding to  use  the 
stone  for  their  incan- 
tations, watched  the  heavens  and  waited  until  they  noticed 
the  signs  of  an  approaching  storm.  They  then  interpreted 


A  PRACTICAL  TEST  OF  THE  VIRTUES 
OF  THE  BLOODSTONE  TO  PREVENT 
NOSE-BLEED. 

From  the  "  Hortus  Sanitatis  "  of  Johannis  de 
Cuba  [Strassburg,  Jean  Pryss,  ca.  1483];  De 
lapidibus,  cap.  xc.  Author's  library. 


"Konrad  von  Megenberg*,  "Buch  der  Natur,"  ed.  by  Dr.  Franz 
PfeiEer,  Stuttgart,  1861,  p.  436. 


CHALCEDONY  VOTIVE  CHARM  FROM  MEXICO. 
Aztec.    Field  Museum,  Chicago. 


CURIOUS  ALTAR  OF  POWALAWA  INDIANS  OF  ARIZONA. 
The  ceremonial  objects  are  grouped  around  a  crystal  of  rock-crystal  in  the  centre.    (See  page  254.) 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         61 

the  sounds  of  the  wind  and  thunder  in  various  ways,  so  as 
to  give  apt  answers  to  the  questions  addressed  to  them 
touching  future  events.  It  is  well  known  that  the  sighing 
of  the  wind,  and,  indeed,  all  those  natural  sounds  which 
constitute  the  grand  symphony  of  Nature,  were  inter- 
preted by  prophets  and  seers  into  articulate  speech.  Dami- 
geron  also  declares  that  the  bloodstone  preserved  the  fac- 
ulties and  bodily  health  of  the  wearer,  brought  him  consid- 
eration and  respect,  and  guarded  him  from  deception.20 

In  the  Leyden  papyrus  the  bloodstone  is  praised  as  an 
amulet  in  the  following  extravagant  terms  : 

The  world  has  no  greater  thing;  if  any  one  have  this  with  him 
he  will  be  given  whatever  he  asks  for;  it  also  assuages  the  wrath  of 
kings  and  despots,  and  whatever  the  wearer  says  will  be  believed. 
Whoever  bears  this  stone,  which  is  a  gem,  and  pronounces  the  name 
engraved  upon  it,  will  find  all  doors  open,  while  bonds  and  stone  walls 
will  be  rent  asunder,21 


The  carbuncle  was  recommended  as  a  heart  stimu- 
lant ;  indeed,  so  powerful  was  its  action,  that  the  wearers 
were  rendered  angry  and  passionate  and  were  even 
warned  to  be  on  their  guard  against  attacks  of  apo- 
plexy.22 The  blood-red  hue  of  the  stone  also  suggested 
its  use  as  a  symbol  of  the  divine  sacrifice  of  Christ  on 
the  cross.  However,  not  only  in  Christianity  was  this 
stone  used  to  illustrate  religious  conceptions,  for  the 
Koran  affirms  that  the  Fourth  Heaven  is  composed  of  car- 

20Pitra,  "  Specilegium  Solesmense/'  Parisiis,  1855,  vol.  in,  p.  325. 

21  Kropatsehek,  "  De   amulet  orum    apud   antiquos  usu,"  Gryphiae, 
1907,  p.  16. 

22  Cardani,  "  Philosophi  opera  quasdam  lectu  digna,"  Basileas,  1585, 
p.  323.    "  De  gemniis." 


62       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

buncle.     In  mythical  fancies  too  this  stone  played  its 
part,  for  dragon's  eyes  were  said  to  be  carbuncles. 

Enmphins  23  states  that  in  1687  he  was  told  by  a  chi- 
rurgeon  that  the  latter  had  seen  in  the  possession  of  one 
of  the  rulers  in  the  island  of  Amboin  a  carbuncle  said  to 
have  been  brought  by  a  serpent.  The  story  ran  that  this 
ruler,  when  a  child,  had  been  placed  by  his  mother  in  a 
hammock  attached  to  two  branches  of  a  tree.  While 
there  a  serpent  crept  up  to  him  and  dropped  a  stone 
upon  his  body.  In  gratitude  for  this  gift  the  parents  of 
the  child  fed  and  cared  for  the  serpent.  The  stone  is 
described  as  having  been  of  a  warm  yellow  hue,  verging 
on  red;  it  shone  so  brightly  at  night  that  a  room  could 
be  illuminated  by  it.  R  eventually  passed  into  the  pos- 
session of  a  King  of  Siam. 

Camettan 

Talisman  ist  Karneol 
Glaubigen  bringt  er  Gliiek  und  Wohl; 
Stebt  er  gar  auf  Onys'  Grain  de, 
Kuss'  ihm  mit  geweihtem  Munde! 
Alles  tfbel  treibt  er  fort, 
Schiitzet  dicb  und  schiitzt  den  Ort; 
(SVenn  das  eingegrabene  Wort 
Allah's  Namen  rein  verkiindet; 
Dicb  zu  Lieb'  und  Tat  entziindet; 
TJnd  besonders  werden  Frauen 
Sieh  am  Talisman  erbauen !  ** 

Carnelian  is  a  talisman, 

It  brings  good  luck  to  cbild  and  man; 

If  resting  on  an  onyx  ground, 

A  sacred  kiss  imprint  when  found. 

23  Rumphius,  "  Amboinsche  Rariteitkamer,"  Amsterdam,  1741, 
p.  308. 

84  Goethe  Westosterlicher  Divan  I,  Segenspf ander. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         63 

It  drives  away  all  evil  things; 
To  thee  and  thine  protection  brings. 
The  name  of  Allah,  king  of  kings, 
If  graven  on  this  stone,  indeed, 
Will  move  to  love  and  doughty  deed. 
From  such  a  gem  a  woman  gains 
Sweet  hope  and  comfort  in  her  pains. 

The  wearing  of  carnelians  is  recommended  by  the 
Lapidario  of  Alfonso  X 25  to  those  who  have  a  weak  voice 
or  are  timid  in  speech,  for  the  warm-colored  stone  will 
give  them  the  courage  they  lack,  so  that  they  will  speak 
both  boldly  and  well.  This  is  in  accord  with  the  general 
belief  in  the  stimulating  and  animating  effects  produced 
by  red  stones. 

On  a  carnelian  is  engraved  in  Arabic  characters  a 
prayer  to  keep  away  evil  and  to  deliver  the  wearer  from 
all  the  tricks  of  the  devil  and  from  the  envious.  The 
inscription  reads  in  translation: 

In  the  name  of  God  the  Just,  the  very  Just ! 
I  implore  you,  0  God  King  of  the  World, 
^Grod  of  the  World,  deliver  us  from  the  devil 
Who  tries  to  do  harm  and  evil  to  us  through 
Bad  people,  and  from  the  evil  of  the  envious. 

Throughout  all  the  East  people  are  afraid  of  the 
envious.  They  believe  that  if  you  envy  a  person  for  his 
health  or  his  wealth  or  any  good  thing  he  may  have,  he 
will  lose  it  in  a  short  time,  and  it  is  the  devil  who  incites 
the  envy  of  some  people  against  others.  So  it  is  sup- 
posed that  by  wearing  this  stone,  bearing  this  prayer 
against  the  envious,  their  envy  will  cease  to  do  you  harm. 

The  popularity  of  the  carnelian  as  a  talismanic  stone 

25 "  Lapidario  del  Rey  D.  Alfonso  X,"  codice  original,  Madrid, 
1881,  f  ol.  77,  p.  49. 


64      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

among  Mohammedan  peoples  is  said  to  be  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  Prophet  himself  wore,  on  the  little  finger  of  his 
right  hand,  a  silver  ring  set  with  a  carnelian  engraved 
for  use  as  a  seal.  One  of  the  most  famous  of  the  imams, 
Jafar,  lent  the  weight  of  his  authority  to  the  belief  in  the 
virtue  of  the  carnelian,  for  he  declared  that  all  the  de- 
sires of  any  man  who  wore  this  stone  would  be  gratified. 
Hence  in  Persia  the  name  of  one  of  the  twelve  imams, 
comprising  Ali  and  his  successors,  is  frequently  engraved 
on  this  stone.26 


CARNELIAN  SEAL,  WORN  BY  NAPOLEON  I,  NAPOLEON  III, 
AND  THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL. 

This  most  interesting  seal  is  described  by  the  Rev.  C.  W.  King,  the  writer  on  Antique 
Gems.  It  is  carnelian,  octagonal-shaped,  and  upon  it  is  engraved  the  legend:  "The  slave 
Abraham  relying  upon  the  Merciful  (God)."  Napoleon  III  wore  it  on  his  watch-chain. 
He  said  about  it:  *'  The  First  Consul  picked  it  up  with  his  own  hands  during  the  campaign 
in  Egypt  and  always  carried  it  about  him,  as  his  nephew  did  later."  The  Prince  Imperial 
received  it  with  the  following  message:  "As  regards  my  son,  I  desire  that  he  will  keep,  as  a 
talisman,  the  Seal  which  I  used  to  wear  attached  to  my  watch."  He  carried  the  seal  upon 
a  string  fastened  about  his  neck  in  obedience  to  the  injunction  of  his  father.  At  the  time 
of  hia  lamentable  death  it  must  have  been  carried  off  in  South  Africa  by  the  Zulus,  when 
they  stripped  his  body,  and  it  has  never  been  recovered. 

An  Armenian  writer  of  the  seventeenth  century  re- 
ports that  in  India  the  lal  or  balas-ruby,  if  powdered  and 
taken  in  a  potion  was  believed  to  banish  all  dark  forebod- 
ings and  to  excite  joyous  emotions.  To  the  carnelian  was 
attributed  a  virtue  somewhat  analogous  to  that  ascribed 
to  the  turquoise,  as  anyone  wearing  a  carnelian  was  proof 

^Hendley,  "Indian  Jewellery,"  London,  1909,  p.  158. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES          65 

against  injury  from  falling  houses  or  walls  ;  the  writer 
emphasizes  this  by  stating  that  "no  man  who  wore  a 
carnelian  was  ever  found  in  a  collapsed  house  or  beneath 
a  fallen  wall.  "  27 


An  ingenious  though  far-fetched  explanation  of  the 
power  attributed  to  chalcedony  of  driving  away  phan- 
toms and  visions  of  the  night  is  supplied  by  Gronelli, 
writing  in  1702.  For  him  the  source  of  this  asserted 
power  was  to  be  found  in  what  has  been  erroneously 
termed  the  alkaline  quality  of  the  stone.  This  dissipated 
the  evil  humors  of  the  eye,  thus  removing  the  diseased 
condition  of  that  organ  which  caused  the  apparitions  to 
be  seen.28  However  absurd  this  explanation  may  be,  it 
nevertheless  shows  that  the  author  put  little  faith  in  visi- 
ble ghosts,  and  rightly  enough  recognized  the  purely 
subjective  character  of  such  phenomena. 


The  cat's-eye  variety  of  chrysoberyl,  or  precious 
cat's-eye,  is  used  by  the  natives  of  Ceylon  as  a  charm 
against  evil  spirits.  As  a  proof  of  the  high  value  set 
upon  the  gem  in  India,  De  Boot  states  that  a  cat's-eye 
estimated  as  worth  ninety  gold  pieces  in  Lusitania  was 
sold  for  six  hundred  in  India.29  Some  of  the  finest  speci- 
mens come  from  Ceylon. 

3TArakel,  "Livre  d'histoire,"  chap,  liil;  transl.  in  Brosset,  "Collec- 
tion d'bistoriens  armeniens,"  St.  Petersburg,  1874,  vol.  i,  pp.  544,  545. 

28  Joseph!  Gonelli,  "  Thesaurus  philosophicus,  sen  de  gemmis,"  Nea- 
poli,  1702,  p.  112. 

28  "  Gemmarum  et  lapidum  historia,"  Lug.  Bat.,  1636,  p.  230. 
5 


66       THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 


The  "  Serpent  Isle/'  in  the  Bed  Sea,  was  stated  by 
Agatharcides  to  be  the  source  whence  came  the  topaz 
(chrysolite)  ;  here,  by  the  mandate  of  the  Egyptian  kings, 
the  inhabitants  collected  specimens  of  this  stone  and 
delivered  them  to  the  gem-cutters  for  polishing.30  These 
simple  details  are  elaborated  by  Diodorus  Siculus  into 
the  legend  that  the  island  was  guarded  by  jealous 
watchers  who  had  orders  to  put  to  death  any  unauthor- 
ized persons  who  approached  it.  Even  those  who  had 
the  right  to  seek  the  gem  could  not  see  the  chrysolite  in 
daytime;  only  after  nightfall  was  it  revealed  by  its  radi- 
ance; the  seekers  then  marked  well  the  spot  and  were 
able  to  find  the  stone  on  the  following  day.31 

From  this  Egyptian  source,  and  possibly  from  others 
exploited  by  the  Egyptians,  have  come  the  finest  chryso- 
lites (peridots,  or  olivines),  the  most  magnificent  ex- 
amples of  this  gem.  These  found  their  way  into  the 
cathedral  treasures  of  Europe,  evidently  by  loot  or  trade 
at  the  period  of  the  Crusades,  and  are  generally  called 
emeralds.  Those  most  notable  are  in  the  Treasury  of  the 
Three  Magi,  in  the  great  "Dom,"  or  Cathedral  at 
Cologne.  Some  of  these  gems  are  nearly  two  inches  long. 

In  our  own  land  beautiful  specimens  can  be  seen  in 
the  Morgan  collection  at  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History  and  in  the  Higinbotham  Hall  in  the 
Field  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Pliny  quotes  from  Juba  the  tradition  that  the  topaz 
(chrysolite)  derived  its  name  from  the  Island  of  To- 

80  Agatharcides,  "  De  Mare  Erythrao,"  §2.  The  topaz  of  the  an- 
cients was  unquestionably  the  gem  commonly  called  chrysolite  at  present 
(olivine,  peridot). 

51  Diodoms  Sieulns,  lib.  iii,  cap.  38. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OP  PEECIOUS  STONES         67 

pazos,  in  the  Eed  Sea,  tlie  first  specimen  having  been 
brought  thence  by  the  procurator  Philemon,  to  Berenice, 
mother  of  Ptolemy  II,  Philadelphia.  This  monarch  is 
said  to  have  had  a  statue  of  his  wife  Arsinoe  made  from 
the  stone.32  If  there  be  any  foundation  for  this  latter 
statement,  the  precious  gift  sent  by  Philemon  must  have 
been  a  mass  of  fluor-spar,  or  some  similar  material. 
More  than  three  hundred  years  after  Pliny's  time,  Epi- 
phanius,  evidently  repeating  another  version  of  this  tra- 
dition, states  that  the  "  topaz"  was  set  in  the  diadem  of 
the  "Theban  queen." 

Chrysolite  (olivine,  peridot),  to  exert  its  full  power, 
required  to  be  set  in  gold;  worn  in  this  way  it  dispelled 
the  vague  terrors  of  the  night.  If,  however,  it  were  to  be 
used  as  a  protection  from  the  wiles  of  evil  spirits,  the 
stone  had  to  be  pierced  and  strung  on  the  hair  of  an  ass 
and  then  attached  to  the  left  arm.33  The  belief  in  the 
virtue  of  the  chrysolite  to  dissolve  enchantments  and  to 
put  evil  spirits  to  flight  was  probably  due  to  the  associa- 
tion of  the  stone  with  the  sun,  before  whose  life-giving 
rays  darkness  and  all  the  powers  of  darkness  were  driven 
away. 


Wonderful  things  axe  told  of  the  virtue  of  the  chrys- 
oprase,  for  Volmar  states  that,  if  a  thief  sentenced  to 
be  hanged  or  beheaded  should  place  this  stone  in  his 
mouth,  he  would  immediately  escape  from  his  execu- 
tioners.34 Although  we  are  not  informed  in  what  way 
this  fortunate  result  was  attained,  it  seems  likely  that  the 

32  Plinii,  "  Naturalis  Historia,  lib.  xxxvii,  cap.  32. 

33  Marbo-dei,  "  De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  f  ol.  16. 

M  Yolmar,  Steinbnch,  ed.  by  Hans  Lambel,  Heilbronn,  1877,  p.  22, 


68   THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

stone  was  believed  to  make  the  thief  invisible,  and  thus 
possessed  a  virtue  often  attributed  to  the  opal. 

A  strange  story  regarding  a  magic  stone  reputed  to 
have  been  worn  by  Alexander  the  Great  is  related  by 
Albertus  Magnus.  According  to  this  recital,  Alexander, 
in  his  battles,  wore  a  "  prase"  in  his  girdle.  On  his  re- 
turn from  his  Indian  campaign,  wishing  one  day  to  bathe 
in  the  Euphrates,  he  laid  aside  his  girdle,  and  a  serpent 
bit  off  the  stone  and  then  dropped  it  into  the  river.35 
Even  Albertus,  who  is  far  from  critical,  admits  that  the 
story  seems  like  a  fable,  and  it  probably  belongs  to  a 
comparatively  late  period.  As  the  term  "prase"  is  used 
very  loosely  by  early  writers,  this  "victory  stone"  may 
have  been  an  emerald  or  po&sibly  jade. 


The  appreciation  of  coral  as  an  ornament,  or  for 
amulets,  seems  to  presuppose  a  certain  development  of 
civilization,  for  savage  tribes  greatly  prefer  glass  orna- 
ments. Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  introduce 
coral  beads  instead  of  glass  beads  among  such  tribes, 
but  with  no  success,  as  the  cheaper,  but  brighter,  glass 
always  commands  a  higher  price.36 

To  still  tempests  and  traverse  broad  rivers  in  safety 
was  the  privilege  of  one  who  bore  either  red  or  white 
coral  with  him.  That  this  also  stanched  the  flow  of  blood 
from  a  wound,  cured  madness,  and  gave  wisdom,  was 
said  to  have  been  experimentally  proved.37 

35  Albert!  Magni,   "Opera   Omnia,"  ed.  Borgnet,  Parisiis,   1890, 
vol.  v,  p.  43.    De  mineralibus,  lib.  ii,  tract.  2. 

36  Bauer,  "  Edelsteinkunde,"  Leipzig,  1909,  p.  750. 

"Albertus  Magnus,  "Le  Grand  Albert  des  secretz  des  vertus  des 
Herbes,  Pierres  et  Bestes.  Et  aultre  livre  des  Merveilles  du  Monde, 
d'aulcuns  effete  causez  daulcunes  bestes,"  Turin,  Bernard  du  mont  du 
Chat  (c.  1515).  Liv.  ii,  fol.  9  recto. 


KABYLE  JEWELRY. 
Of  Mediterranean  coral  and  pearls.    Field  Museum,  Chicago. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES          69 

Coral,  which  for  twenty  centuries  or  more  was  classed 
among  the  precious  stones,  to  retain  its  power  as  an 
amulet,  must  not  have  been  worked,  and  in  Italy  only 
such  pieces  are  valued  for  this  purpose  as  have  been 
freshly  gathered  from  the  sea  or  have  been  cast  up  by 
the  sea  on  the  shore.  To  exercise  all  its  power  against 
spells,  or  enchantments,  coral  must  be  worn  where  its 
brilliant  color  makes  it  conspicuous;  if,  however,  it 
should  by  accident  be  broken,  the  separate  pieces  have  no 
virtue,  and  the  magic  power  ceases,  as  though  the  spirit 
dwelling  in  the  coral  had  fled  from  its  abode.  The 
peasant  women  are  careful  to  guard  the  corals  they  wear 
for  a  special  purpose  from  the  eyes  of  their  husbands, 
for  the  substance  is  believed  to  grow  pale  at  certain 
seasons,  regaining  its  pristine  hue  after  a  short  interval 
of  time.  Indeed,  the  women  believe  that  the  coral  shares 
their  indisposition  with  them. /All  this  serves  to  show 
that  a  kind  of  vital  force  is  believed  to  animate  the  ma- 
terial, gaining  or  losing  in  vigor  according  to  certain 
conditions,  and  finally  disappearing  when  the  form  is 
broken.  These  beliefs  are  all  clearly  traceable  to  the 
animistic  ideas  of  primitive  man.38 

Diamonb 

The  diamond  is  to  the  pearl  as  the  sun  is  to  the  moon, 
and  we  might  well  call  one  the  "  king-gem "  and  the 
other  the  " queen-gem.7'  The  diamond,  like  a  knight 
of  old, — brilliant  and  resistant,  is  the  emblem  of  fear- 
lessness and  invincibility;  the  pearl,  like  a  lady  of  old, 
— pure  and  fair  to  look  upon,  is  the  emblem  of  modesty 
and  purity.  Therefore  it  does  not  seem  unfitting  that 

38Bellucci,  "II  feticismo  primitive  in  Italia/'  Perugia,  1907,  pp. 
22-25. 


70      THE  CUKIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  diamond  should  be  presented  as  a  token  to  the  pearl, 
and  that  pearls  should  go  with  the  diamond.  The  virtues 
ascribed  to  this  stone  are  almost  all  directly  traceable 
either  to  its  unconquerable  hardness  or  to  its  trans- 
parency and  purity.  It  was  therefore  thought  to  bring 
victory  to  the  wearer,  by  endowing  him  with  superior 
strength,  fortitude,  and  courage.  Marbodus39  tells  us 
it  was  a  magic  stone  of  great  power  and  served  to  drive 
away  nocturnal  spectres;  for  this  purpose  it  should  be 
set  in  gold  and  worn  on  the  left  arm.  For  St.  Hildegard 
the  sovereign  virtue  of  the  diamond  was  recognized  by 
the  devil,  who  was  a  great  enemy  of  this  stone  because  it 
resisted  his  power  by  day  and  by  night.40  Eueus 41  calls 
it  "a  gem  of  reconciliation,"  as  it  enhanced  the  love  of  a 
husband  for  his  wife. 

Cardano 42  takes  a  more  pessimistic  view  of  the  quali- 
ties of  the  diamond.  He  says: 

It  is  believed  to  make  the  wearer  unhappy;  its  effects  therefore 
are  the  same  upon  the  mind  as  that  of  the  sun  upon  the  eye,  for  the 
latter  rather  dims  than  strengthens  the  sight.  It  indeed  renders  fear- 
less, but  there  is  nothing  that  contributes  more  to  our  safety  than 
prudence  and  fear;  therefore  it  is  better  to  fear. 

The  diamond  was  often  associated  with  the  lightning 
and  was  sometimes  believed  to  owe  its  origin  to  the 
thunderbolt,  but  we  do  not  recall  having  seen  elsewhere 
the  statement  made  in  an  anonymous  Italian  manu- 
script of  the  fourteenth  century.  Here  it  is  expressly 

ro  "  De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  f .  8. 

40 St.  Hildegardse,  "Opera  Omnia,"  in  Pat.  Lat.  ed  Migne,  vol. 
excvii,  col.  1254. 

41 "  De  gemmis,"  Tiguri,  1566,  f .  52. 

43 "  Philosophi  opera  qusedam  lectu  digna,"  Basilea^  1585,  p.  322. 
"De  gemmis." 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         71 

asserted  that  the  diamond  is  sometimes  consumed  or 
melted  when  it  thunders.43  Certainly,  that  the  same 
force  that  was  supposed  to  have  formed  the  stone  should 
be  able  to  dissolve  it,  is  not  an  illogical  idea.  That  the 
diamond  can  be  entirely  consumed  at  a  high  temperature 
was  a  fact  not  known  in  Europe  in  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury, and  therefore  the  belief  in  the  destructive  effect 
of  the  electric  current  must  have  arisen  from  super- 
stitious or  poetic  fancies,  and  not  from  any  vague  con- 
ception of  the  true  nature  of  the  diamond. 

In  the  Talmud  we  read  of  a  gem,  supposed  to  have 
been  the  diamond,  which  was  worn  by  the  high  priest.44 
This  stone  served  to  show  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  one 
accused  of  any  crime ;  if  the  accused  were  guilty,  the  stone 
would  grow  dim,  but  if  he  were  innocent,  it  would  shine 
more  brilliantly  than  ever.  This  quality  is  also  alluded 
to  by  Sir  John  Mandeville,  who  wrote: 

It  happens  often  that  the  good  diamond  loses  its  virtue  by  sin  and 
for  incontinence  of  him  who  bears  it. 

The  Hindus  classed  diamonds  according  to  the  four 
castes.  The  Brahmin  diamond  gave  power,  friends, 
riches  and  good  luck;  the  Kshatriya  diamond  prevented 
the  approach  of  old  age;  the  Vaisya  stone  brought  suc- 
cess, and  the  Sudra,  all  manner  of  good  fortune.  On'the 
other  hand,  in  the  treatise  on  gems  by  Buddhabhatta45 
we  read: 

A  diamond,  a  part  of  which  is  the  color  of  blood  or  spotted  with 
red,  would  quickly  bring  death  to  the  wearer,  even  if  he  were  the 
Master  of  Death. 

43  Anonymous  writer  in  Ital.  MS.  of  the  fourteenth  century  in  the 
author's  library;  fol.  41  p.  verso. 

**  See  page  278  for  description  of  this  diamond  by  St.  Epiphanius. 
48  Finot,  "  Les  lapidaires  indiens,"  Paris,  1896,  p.  9. 


72      THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

The  Arabians  and  Persians,  as  well  as  the  modern 
Egyptians,  agree  in  attributing  to  the  diamond  a  wonder- 
ful power  to  bring  good  fortune,  and  Kabbi  Benoni,  a 
mystic  of  the  fourteenth  century,  treating  of  its  magic 
virtues,  asserts  that  it  produces  somnambulism,  and,  as  a 
talisman,  so  powerfully  attracts  the  planetary  influences 
that  it  renders  the  wearer  invincible ;  it  was  also  said  to 
provoke  a  state  of  spiritual  ecstasy.  An  alchemist  of  the 
same  century,  Pierre  de  Boniface,  asserted  that  the  dia- 
mond made  the  wearer  invisible. 

A  curious  fancy,  prevalent  in  regard  to  many  stones, 
attributed  sex  to  the  diamond,  and  it  is  therefore  not  sur- 
prising that  these  stones  were  also  supposed  to  possess 
reproductive  powers.  In  this  connection  Sir  John  Man- 
deville  wrote  : 

They  grow  together,  male  and  female,  and  are  nourished  by  the 
dew  of  heaven;  and  they  engender  commonly,  and  bring  forth  small 
children  that  multiply  and  grow  all  the  year.  I  have  oftentimes  tried 
the  experiment  that  if  a  man  keep  them  with  a  little  of  the  rock,  and 
water  them  with  May  dew  often,  they  shall  grow  every  year  and  the 
small  will  grow  great. 

XThe  following  lines  from  a  translation  of  the  cele- 
brated Orphic  poem,  written  in  the  second  century,  show 
the  high  esteem  in  which  the  adamas  was  held  at  that 
time: 

The  Evil  Eye  shall  have  no  power  to  harm 
Him  that  shall  wear  the  diamond  as  a  charm, 
No  monarch  shall  attempt  to  thwart  his  will, 
And  e'en  the  gods  his  wishes  shall  fulfil. 

This  probably  refers  either  to  colorless  corundum, 
the  so-called  " white  sapphire,"  or  to  quartz.  The  writer 
is  disinclined  to  believe  that  the  ancients  knew  the 
diamond. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         73 

The  ancient  Hindu  gem-treatise  of  Buddhabhatta 
asserts  that  the  diamond  of  the  Brahmin  should  have  the 
whiteness  of  a  shell  or  of  rock-crystal;  that  of  the  Ksha- 
triya,  the  brown  color  of  the  eye  of  a  hare ;  that  of  the 
Vaisya,  the  lovely  shade  of  a  petal  of  the  kadali  flower; 
that  of  the  Sudra,  the  sheen  of  a  polished  blade.  To 
kings  alone  the  sages  assigned  two  classes  of  colored 
diamonds, — namely,  those  red  as  coral  and  those  yellow 
as  saffron.  These  were  exclusively  royal  gems,  but  dia- 
monds of  all  other  shades  could  be  set  in  royal  jewels.46 

A  typical  diamond  is  thus  described  in  a  Hindu  gem- 
treatise  : 47 

A  six-pointed  diamond,  pure,  without  stain,  with  pronounced  and 
sharp  edges,  of  a  beautiful  shade,  light,  with  well-formed  facets, 
without  defects,  illuminating  space  with  its  fire  and  with  the  reflection 
of  the  rainbow,  a  diamond  of  this  kind  is  not  easy  to  find  in  the 
earth. 

According  to  a  wide-spread  superstition,  the  talis- 
manic  power  of  a  diamond  was  lost  if  the  stone  were 
acquired  by  purchase ;  only  when  received  as  a  gift  could 
its  virtues  be  depended  on.48  The  same  belief  is  noted 
regarding  the  turquoise.  The  spirit  dwelling  in  the  stone 
was  thought  to  take  offence  at  the  idea  of  being  bought 
and  sold,  and  was  supposed  to  depart  from  the  stone, 
leaving  it  nothing  more  than  a  bit  of  senseless  matter. 
If,  however,  the  diamond  (or  turquoise)  were  offered  as 
a  pledge  of  love  or  friendship,  the  spirit  was  quite  willing 
to  transfer  its  good  offices  from  one  owner  to  another. 

The  Talmud  shows  us  that  the  Jewish  Eabbis  some- 

*6  Knot,  "  Les  lapidaires  indiens,"  Paris,  1896,  p.  8. 
47  Finot,  1.  c.,  p.  9. 

48Konrad  von  Megenberg,  "Buch  der  ETatur."  ed.  by  Dr.  Franz 
Pfeiffer,  Stuttgart,  1861,  p.  433. 


74   THE  CUEIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

times  endeavored  to  enliven  their  exhaustive  discussions 
of  ritual  and  legal  questions  by  telling  "good  stories"  to 
each  other.  One  of  these  may  be  given  as  illustrating  at 
once  the  wild  improbability  of  some  of  these  recitals  and 
the  belief  in  the  wonderful  magic  virtues  of  the  dia- 
mond : 49 

R.  Jehudah  of  Mesopatamia  used  to  tell :  Once  while  on  board  of 
a  ship,  I  saw  a  diamond  that  was  encircled  by  a  snake,  and  a  diver  went 
to  catch  it.  The  snake  then  opened  its  mouth,  threatening  to  swallow 
the  ship.  Then  a  raven  came,  bit  off  its  head,  and  all  water  around 
turned  into  blood.  Then  another  snake  came,  took  the  diamond,  put  it 
in  the  carcass,  and  it  became  alive;  and  again  it  opened  its  mouth,  in 
order  to  swallow  the  ship.  Another  bird  then  came,  bit  off  its  head, 
took  the  diamond  and  threw  it  on  the  ship.  We  had  with  us  salted 
birds,  and  we  wanted  to  try  whether  the  diamond  would  bring  them  to 
life,  so  we  placed  the  gem  on  them,  and  they  became  animated  and 
flew  away  with  the  gem. 

It  is  said  that  the  first  large  diamonds  discovered  by 
Europeans  in  South  Africa  were  found  in  the  leather 
bag  of  a  sorcerer.  Although  large  stones  or  fragments 
of  rock  are  usually  the  objects  of  adoration  as  fetiches 
in  Africa,  any  small  stone  that  is  wrapped  in  colored 
rags  and  worn  on  the  neck  may  be  regarded  in  the  same 
way.50  Several  competent  authorities  state  that  these 
diamonds  were  the  playthings  of  some  Boer  children. 

Al  Kazwini  relates  as  follows  the  marvellous  tale  of 
the  Valley  of  Diamonds : 51 

48  New  edition  of  the  Babylonian  Talmud,  ed.  and  trans,  by  Michael 
L.  Rodkinson,  vol.  v  (xiii),  Baba  Batra,  New  York,  1902,  p.  207. 

60  Ratzel,  "  Volkerkunde,"  Leipzig,  1885,  vol.  i,  p.  36. 

51  Dr.  Julius  Ruska,  "Das  Steinbuch  aus  der  Kosmographie  des 
al-Kazwini,"  Beilage  zum  Jahresbericht  1894-5  der  Oberrealschule  Hei- 
delberg, p.  35.  See  Aristoteles  De  Lapidibus  und  Arnoldus  Saxo,  ed. 
Rose,  Z.f .D.A.  New  Series  VI,  pp.  364,  365,  389,  390.  The  "  other 
writer  "  is  probably  Ahmed  Teif ashi. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES         75 

"  Aristotle 52  says  that  no  one  except  Alexander  ever  reached  the 
place  where  the  diamond  is  produced.  This  is  a  valley,  connected  with 
the  land  Hind.  The  glance  cannot  penetrate  to  its  greatest  depths  and 
serpents  are  found  there,  the  like  of  which  no  man  hath  seen,  and  upon 
which  no  man  can  gaze  without  dying.  However,  this  power  endures 
only  as  long  as  the  serpents  live,  for  when  they  die  the  power  leaves 
them.  In  this  place  summer  reigns  for  six  months  and  winter  for  the 
same  length  of  time.  Now,  Alexander  ordered  that  an  iron  mirror 
should  be  brought  and  placed  at  the  spot  where  the  serpents  dwelt. 
When  the  serpents  approached,  their  glance  fell  upon  their  own  image 
in  the  mirror,  and  this  caused  their  death.  Hereupon,  Alexander  wished 
to  bring  out  the  diamonds  from  the  valley,  but  no  one  was  willing  to 
undertake  the  descent.  Alexander  therefore  sought  counsel  of  the  wise 
men,  and  they  told  him  to  throw  down  a  piece  of  flesh  into  the  valley. 
This  he  did,  the  diamonds  became  attached  to  the  flesh,  and  the  birds 
of  the  air  seized  the  flesh  and  bore  it  up  out  of  the  valley.  Then 
Alexander  ordered  his  people  to  pursue  the  birds  and  to  pick  up  what 
fell  from  the  flesh." 

"Another  writer  states  that  the  mines  are  in  the  mountains  of 
Serendib  (Ceylon)  in  a  very  deep  gorge,  in  which  are  deadly  serpents. 
When  people  wish  to  take  out  the  diamonds  they  throw  down  pieces  of 
flesh,  which  are  seized  by  vultures  and  brought  up  to  the  brink  of  the 
gorge.  There  such  of  the  diamonds  as  cling  to  the  flesh  are  secured; 
these  are  of  the  size  of  a  lentil  or  a  pea.  The  largest  pieces  found 
attain  the  size  of  a  half -bean." 

In  his  version  of  the  tale,  one  form  of  which  appears 
in  the  seventh  voyage  of  Sindbad  the  Sailor,  Teifashi 
states  that  the  finest  corundum  gems  were  washed  down 
the  streams  that  flowed  from  Adam's  Peak,  on  the  island 
of  Ceylon;  in  time  of  drought,  however,  this  source  of 
supply  ceased.  Now  it  happened  that  many  eagles  built 
their  nests  on  the  top  of  this  mountain,  and  the  gem- 
seekers  used  to  place  large  pieces  of  flesh  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountain.  The  eagles  pounced  upon  these  and  bore 
them  away  to  their  nests,  but  were  obliged  to  alight  from 

52  The  work  on  precious  stones  attributed  to  Aristotle  was  composed 
in  Arabic  probably  in  the  ninth  century. 


76       THE  CURIOUS  LOftE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

time  to  time  in  order  to  rest,  and  while  the  pieces  of 
flesh  lay  on  the  rock,  some  of  the  corundums  became 
lightly  attached  to  this,  so  that  when  the  eagles  resumed 
their  flight  the  stones  dropped  off  and  rolled  down  the 
mountain  side.53 

These  oft-repeated  tales  are  explained  by  Dr.  Valen- 
tine Ball  as  originating  in  the  Hindu  custom  of  sacri- 
ficing cattle  when  new  mines  were  opened,  and  leaving 
on  the  spot  a  certain  part  of  the  meat  as  an  offering  to 
the  guardian  deities.  As  these  pieces  of  meat  were  soon 
carried  away  by  birds  of  prey,  the  legend  arose  that  the 
diamonds  were  obtained  in  this  way.  This  custom  still 
prevailed  in  some  parts  of  India  when  Dr.  Ball  wrote.54 

The  effect  exercised  by  Hindu  superstition  on  even 
the  most  enlightened  Europeans  of  our  day  may  be  rec- 
ognized in  the  fact  that  the  gifted  prima  donna,  Mme. 
Maeterlinck,  the  wife  of  the  foremost  living  European 
poet,  has  confessed  that  she  wears  a  diamond  suspended 
on  her  forehead  because  her  husband  believes  that  this 
brings  good  fortune  to  the  wearer.  This  forehead-jewel 
is  characteristically  Hindu  and  enjoys  in  India  the  repu- 
tation of  being  especially  auspicious. 


The  emerald  was  believed  to  foreshow  future  events,55 
but  we  do  not  learn  whether  visions  were  actually  seen 
in  the  stone,  as  they  were  in  spheres  of  rock-crystal  or 
beryl,  or  whether  the  emerald  endowed  the  wearer  with 
a  supernatural  fore-knowledge  of  what  was  to  come.  As 

53  Teif  ashi,  "  Fior  di  pensieri  sulle  pietre  preziose/'  Firenzi,  1818, 
p.  13. 

54  Proc.  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy,  2d  Ser.,  Polite  Literature  and 
Antiquities,  vol.  ii,  Dublin,  1879-1888,  p.  303. 

66Epiphanii,  «  De  XII  gemmis,"  Tiguri,  1565,  fol.  5. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


77 


a  revealer  of  truth,  this  stone  was  an  enemy  of  all  en- 
chantments and  conjurations;  hence  it  was  greatly 
favored  by  magicians,  who  found  all  their  arts  of  no 


fufc 

ano  Uav  £Ufiu 
IU4-C-    iutf-  imlwre- 


tins'-  OU  piue- 


"UA-U-. 


-.  durno  <? 


piluoct 
tt4fl'.7 


.£on0  Ufana'^uic-  buoni  Oj 
tumlulm-  C7a  Dia-fi  cbc-ijucUt 
i  fttpttaw  Itili 


qucftq.  picrci  c5"opnnCt 
OtfTc  tituj 


quclfci  jncr&f  in^clcn 
jjf  t|4r«C"  leqiwtc-  fono  mUa  ^UcJ 
^nttdiv-  cbc-  cjumo-  IfKiTo  Cnvtu 
6daO;o  taswncuiltv 
Oeleucnc  ^tutnc- 

&  i  tawe  iiir 


*nc  dt  tame-'  074  fitouatu  %r  i 

^o-  it  l»p  tew  IM> 
-  «?  uiiLi  -7  buotLi.  Tlo  l«»F 


ttwUte- 


OlthtzltV1.  au  fcuJ  ftDiO." 


iilc-  con 


Ciiut  lonicmcD  <7  calmdri 


ii.*-  <uafbna  <7lio«il?t 
fcnw  -63^^10  Ouvrto  c 
{t-  lfvij<ifl4.  Cr  u^Ae  ahduittwtofl 


mtvyw  rum^ 

CDnutiuco  mfcoUtctia  ^ft6  uyto 
f  n«tv 


A)icmi      ^ 

^/6-itOTHujo.  e-  p  ivcut  0  1 
£u  UcuL-jjfaiDaucti  Otmoin 


ptani  (viviw 


niouiwcna 


infu'.i 
OID  ^ 


t  qucib 

Luitujiuc- 
" 


SPECIMEN  PAGE  OF  ITALIAN  MANUSCRIPT  OF  THE  FOURTEENTH 

CENTURY. 

Containing  an  Italian  version  of  the  "De  Mineralibus"  of  Albertus  Magaus.  On 
this  page  is  the  account  of  the  emerald,  set  in  a  ring  worn  by  King  Bela  IV  o£  Hungary 
(1235-1270),  that  was  fractured  when  he  caressed  his  wife.  Author's  library. 

avail  if  an  emerald  were  in  their  vicinity  when  they 
began  to  weave  their  spells.5^    V 

6S  Morales,  "  De  las  piedras  preeiosas,"  Valladolid,  1604,  f  ol.  101. 


78   THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

To  this  supernatural  power  inherent  in  the  stone, 
enabling  it  to  quicken  the  prophetic  faculty,  may  be 
added  many  other  virtues.  If  any  one  wished  to 
strengthen  his  memory  or  to  become  an  eloquent  speaker, 
he  was  sure  to  attain  his  end  by  securing  possession  of 
a  fine  emerald.57  And  not  only  the  ambitious,  but  also 
those  whose  hearts  had  been  smitten  by  the  shafts  from 
Cupid's  bow  found  in  this  stone  an  invaluable  auxiliary, 
for  it  revealed  the  truth  or  falsity  of  lover's  oaths. 
Strange  to  say,  however,  the  emerald,  although  commonly 
assigned  to  Venus,  was  often  regarded  as  an  enemy  of 
sexual  passion.  So  sensitive  was  the  stone  believed  to 
be  in  this  respect  that  Albertus  Magnus  relates  of  King 
Bela  of  Hungary,  who  possessed  an  exceptionally  valu- 
able emerald  set  in  a  ring,  that,  when  he  embraced  his 
wife  while  wearing  this  ring  on  his  finger,  the  stone 
broke  into  three  parts.58 

In  Eabbinical  legend  it  is  related  that  four  precious 
stones  were  given  by  God  to  King  Solomon ;  one  of  these 
was  the  emerald.  The  possession  of  the  four  stones  is 
said  to  have  endowed  the  wise  king  with  power  over  all 
creation.59  As  these  four  stones  probably  typified  the 
four  cardinal  points,  and  were  very  likely  of  red,  blue, 
yellow,  and  green  color  respectively,  we  might  conjecture 
that  the  other  three  stones  were  the  carbuncle,  the  lapis- 
lazuli,  and  the  topaz. 

After  stating  that  the  emerald  sharpens  the  wits  and 
quickens  the  intelligence,  Cardano  declares  that  it 
therefore  made  people  more  honest,  for  "dishonesty  is 

^Marbodei,  "De  lapidibus,  Friburgi,  1531,  fol.  48;  Camilli  Leon- 
ardi,  "  Speculum  lapidum,"  Venetia,  1502,  fol.  xliii. 

08  Pol.  55  recto  of  Ital.  MS.,  14th  Century.  Reference  is  to  Bela 
IV  (1235-1270).  Lo  reo  dilugaria  bela  lo'qale  in  di  nostri  tempi  regna. 

69  Weil,  "Biblische  Legenden,"  p.  225. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         79 

nothing  but  ignorance,  stupidity,  and  ill-nature.  "  The 
same  writer  adds  that  the  stone  was  believed  to  make 
men  economical  and  hence  to  make  them  rich,  but  of  this 
he  was  very  sceptical,  since  the  experience  of  others  as 
well  as  his  own  showed  that  the  emerald  possessed  very 
little  power  in  this  direction.60 

A  talismanic  emerald,  once  the  property  of  the  Mogul 
emperors  of  Delhi,  has  recently  been  shown  in  Europe. 
The  stone  is  of  a  rich  deep  green,  and  weighs  78  carats. 
Aronnd  the  edge  in  Persian  characters  runs  the  inscrip- 
tion: "He  who  possesses  this  charm  shall  enjoy  the 
special  protection  of  God." 

Emerald  sharpened  the  wits,  conferred  riches  and  the 
power  to  predict  future  events.  To  evolve  this  latter 
virtue  it  must  be  put  under  the  tongue.  It  also  strength- 
ened the  memory.  The  light-colored  stones  were  es- 
teemed the  best  and  legend  told  that  they  were  brought 
from  the  "  nests  of  griffons."  61 


Gypsum  when  fibrous  —  the  fibres  being  long  and 
straight  —  is  known  as  "  satin  spar."  This  material  is 
frequently  cut  rounded,  or  en  cabochon,  across  the  fibres; 
sometimes  it  is  cut  in  the  form  of  beads,  or  of  pear-shaped 
drops,  which  are  mounted  in  earrings,  scarf  -pins,  or  neck- 
laces. The  material  is  frequently  found  in  Russia, 
England,  and  elsewhere,  and  is  cut  in  England  or  Russia. 
Some  of  the  cut  stones  are  mounted  in  brass,  or  gilded 

wCardani,  "Philosophi  opera  queedam,"  Basileae,  1585,  p.  328. 
"  De  gemmis." 

61Albertus  Magnus,  "Le  Grand  Albert  des  secrets  des  vertus  de* 
Herbes,  Pierres  et  Bestes.  Et  aultre  livre  des  Merveilles  du  Monde, 
d'auleuns  effetz  causez  daulcunes  bestes,"  Turin,  Bernard  du  rnont  du 
Chat  (c.  1515).  Liv.  ii,  fol.  11. 


80      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

brass,  and  sold  as  luck  stones  at  Niagara,  the  claim  being 
made  that  the  "  satin  spar  "  was  taken  from  beneath 
the  Falls  at  great  peril,  as  occasionally  small  deposits  of 
this  kind  of  gypsum  are  found  under  the  Falls. 

From  time  to  time  small  consignments  of  this  material 
have  been  sent  to  Japan,  as  the  Japanese  valne  it  possibly 
on  account  of  its  purity,  or  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  has 
the  effect  of  the  cat's-eye.  It  is  quite  cheap,  and  at  the 
same  time  very  soft,  so  that  it  can  be  scratched  with  the 
finger-nail.  That  found  in  Eussia  is  of  a  golden-yellow  or 
salmon  color?  and  is  worked  into  various  ornaments,  the 
one  popular  form  being  egg-shaped,  and,  because  of  their 
form,  such  objects  are  frequently  given  as  Easter  gifts. 
The  same  material  is  also  known  in  Egypt,  and  is  cut  in 
the  same  egg  form,  the  ornaments  being  called  "  Pha- 
raoh's eggs,"  although  just  which  Pharaoh  this  refers 
to  is  not  stated.  They  are  also  believed  to  possess  quali- 
ties of  protection  and  to  bring  good  fortune. 

hematite 

The  virtues  of  the  hematite  were  praised  in  an  ancient 
gem-treatise  written  by  Azchalias  of  Babylon  for  Mithri- 
dates  the  Great,  King  of  Pontus  (d.  63  B.C.),  a  sovereign 
who  was  passionately  fond  of  precious  stones,  and  pos- 
sessed a  splendid  collection  of  them,  both  engraved  and 
unengraved.  Azchalias,  as  cited  by  Pliny 62  taught  that 
human  destinies  were  influenced  by  the  virtues  inherent 
in  precious  stones,  and  asserted  that  the  hematite,  when 
used  as  a  talisman,  procured  for  the  wearer  a  favorable 
hearing  of  petitions  addressed  to  kings  and  a  fortunate 
issue  of  lawsuits  and  judgments.  It  is  a  red  oxide  of 
iron,  which  when  abraded  shows  a  red  streak;  whence  the 

ea "  ISTaturalis  historia,"  lib.  xxxvii,  cap.  60. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         81 

name  hematite,  from  the  Greek  haima,  "  blood."  As  an 
iron  ore  and  hence  associated  with  Mars,  the  god  of  war, 
this  substance  was  also  considered  to  be  an  invaluable 
help  to  the  warrior  on  the  field  of  battle  if  he  rubbed  his 
body  with  it.  Probably,  like  the  loadstone,  it  was  believed 
to  confer  invulnerability. 

The  high  degree  of  skill  possessed  by  the  Pueblo 
workers  is  strikingly  shown  in  a  finely  inlaid  hematite 
cylinder  found  in  Pueblo  Bonito.  The  inlays  are  of  tur- 
quoise and  are  designed  to  make  the  cylinder  a  conven- 
tional representation  of  a  bird.  The  wings  are  indicated 
by  turquoise  inlays  of  pyramidal  outline,  curved  so  as  to 
follow  the  curvature  of  the  cylinder,  the  head  being 
figured  by  a  conical  piece  of  turquoise  attached  to  one 
end.  This  conical  termination  bore  a  small  bird-figure 
carved  in  relief.63  When  we  consider  the  difficulties  the 
Indian  workers  had  to  overcome  in  the  execution  of  this 
artistic  task  with  the  tools  at  their  command,  we  can  well 
realize  that  this  object,  probably  an  amulet,  must  have 
been  considered  very  valuable,  and  was  most  likely  tEe 
property  of  some  one  of  high  rank  in  the  tribe  or  com- 
munity. 


The  jacinth  was  more  especially  recommended  as  an 
amulet  for  travellers,  because  of  its  reputed  value  as  a 
protection  against  the  plague  and  against  wounds  and 
injuries,  the  two  classes  of  perils  most  feared  by  those 
who  undertook  long  journeys.  Moreover,  this  stone  as- 
sured the  wearer  a  cordial  reception  at  any  hostelry  he 

te  George  H.  Pepper,  "The  Exploration  of  a  Burial-room  in 
Pueblo  Bonito,  New  Mexico,"  Putnam  Anniversary  Volume-  New  York> 
1909,  p.  239  j  Fig.  5. 


82   THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

visited.64  It  was  said  to  lose  its  brilliancy  and  grow  pale 
and  dull  if  the  wearer  or  any  one  in  his  immediate  neigh- 
borhood became  ill  of  the  plague.  In  addition  to  these 
qualities  the  jacinth  augmented  the  riches  of  the  owner, 
and  endowed  "him  with  prudence  in  the  conduct  of  his 
affairs.65 

St.  Hildegard,  the  Abbess  of  Bingen  (d.  1179),  gives 
the  following  details  as  to  the  proper  use  of  the  jachant 
(jacinth) : 66 

If  any  one  is  bewitched  by  phantoms  or  by  magical  spells,  so  that 
he  has  lost  his  wits,  take  a  hot  loaf  of  pure  wheaten  bread  and  cut  the 
upper  crust  in  the  form  of  a  cross, — not,  however,  cutting  it  quite 
through, — and  then  pass  the  stone  along  the  cutting,  reciting  these 
words:  "May  God,  who  cast  away  all  precious  stones  from  the  devil 
.  .  .  cast  away  from  thee,  1ST.,  all  phantoms  and  all  magic  spells, 
and  free  thee  from  the  pain  of  this  madness." 

The  patient  is  then  to  eat  of  the  bread;  if,  however, 
his  stomach  should  be  too  feeble,  unleavened  bread  may 
be  used.  All  other  solid  food  given  to  the  sick  person 
should  be  treated  in  the  same  manner.  We  are  also  told 
that  if  any  one  has  a  pain  in  his  heart,  the  pain  will  be 
relieved  provided  the  sign  of  the  cross  be  made  over  the 
heart  while  the  above  mentioned  words  are  recited. 

The  wearer  of  a  jacinth  was  believed  to  be  proof 
against  the  lightning,  and  it  was  even  asserted  that  wax 
that  had  been  impressed  by  an  image  graven  on  this  stone 
averted  the  lightning  from  one  who  bore  the  seal.  That 
the  stone  really  possessed  this  power  was  a  matter  of 
common  report,  it  being  confidently  declared  that  in  re- 

M  Marbodei,  "  De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  f  ol.  38. 

MCardani,  "Philosophi  opera  qusedam,"  Basileae,  1585,  p.  323. 
"  De  gemrois." 

*S.  Hildegardse,  Opera  onmia;  in  Pat.  Lat.  ed.  J.  P.  Migne,  vol. 
cxcvii,  Parisiis,  1855,  col.  1251. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES          83 

gions  where  many  were  struck  by  lightning,  none  who 
wore  a  jacinth  were  ever  harmed.  By  a  like  miracle  it 
preserved  the  wearer  from  all  danger  of  pestilence  even 
though  he  lived  in  an  air  charged  with  the  disease.  A 
third  virtue  was  to  induce  sleep.  Of  this,  Cardano  states 
that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  wearing  rather  a  large  jacinth, 
and  had  found  that  the  stone  "seemed  to  dispose  some- 
what to  sleep,  but  not  much/'  He  adds,  in  explanation 
of  its  slight  efficacy,  that  Ms  stone  was  not  bright  red, 
nor  of  the  best  sort,  but  of  a  golden  hue,  differing  much 
from  the  best.67 


The  name  jade  includes  two  distinct  minerals,  neph- 
rite and  jadeite.  The  former  is  a  silicate  of  magnesia, 
of  exceedingly  tough  structure,  and  ranks  6.5  in  the  scale 
of  hardness,  while  jadeite,  a  silicate  of  alumina,  is  more 
crystalline  and  not  as  tough  as  nephrite  and  has  a  hard- 
ness of  7.  A  variety  having  a  rich  emerald-green  hue  is 
called  by  the  Chinese  f  cits'  ui,  "Kingfisher  plumes";  it 
is  also  denominated  Imperial  jade. 

The  original  form  of  the  Chinese  character  pao,  signi- 
fying "precious,  "consists  of  the  outline  of  a  house,  within 
which  are  the  symbols  of  jade  beads,  shell,  and  an  earthen 
jar.  This  shows  that  at  the  very  early  time  when  these 
characters  were  first  used,  the  Chinese  already  collected 
jade  and  employed  it  for  personal  adornment68'  The 

oldest  form  of  the  ideograph  for  "king"  ,|,  appears  to 

9 

be  the  symbol  for  a  string  of  jade  beads,  which  are  even 

fi7  Cardani,  "  De  subtilitate,"  Basileas,  1560,  pp.  442-3. 

c8  Chalf  ant,  "  Early  Chinese  Writing-/'  Mem.  of  Carnegie  Museum, 
vol.  iv,  No.  1,  Pittsburg,  1906,  p.  10  and  PL  XX,  No.  275.  See  also 
PL  X,  No.  132;  pei,  "shell,"  "value,"  as  shells  were  used  as  money 
in  very  ancient  times. 


84       THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

now  used  in  China  as  insignia  for  high,  rank  and  au- 
thority.69 

Jade  amulets  of  many  different  forms  are  popular 
with  the  Chinese.  One  representing  two  men  is  called 
*  *  Two  Brothers  of  Heavenly  Love, ' '  and  is  often  given  to 
friends.  A  phoenix  of  jade  is  a  favorite  ornament  for 
young  girls  and  is  bestowed  upon  them  when  they  come 
of  age.  To  a  newly-wedded  pair  is  given  the  figure  of  a 
man  riding  on  a  unicorn  and  holding  castanets  in  his 
hand ;  this  signifies  that  an  heir  will  be  born  in  due  time. 

Such  is  the  fondness  of  the  Chinese  for  jade  that  those 
who  can  afford  the  luxury  of  its  possession  are  wont  to 
carry  with  them  small  pieces,  so  that  they  may  have  them 
always  at  hand;  for  they  believe  that,  when  handled, 
something  of  the  secret  virtue  of  the  substance  is 
absorbed  into  the  body.  When  struck,  jade  is  thought  to 
emit  a  peculiarly  melodious  sound,  which  for  the  Chinese 
poet  resembles  the  voice  of  the  loved  one ;  indeed,  jade  is 
termed  the  concentrated  essence  of  love. 

Fashioned  into  the  form  of  a  butterfly,  a  piece  of  jade 
acquires  a  special  romantic  significance  in  China,  because 
of  a  Chinese  legend  which  relates  that  a  youth  in  his 
eager  pursuit  of  a  many-hued  butterfly  made  his  way  into 
the  garden  of  a  rich  mandarin.  Instead  of  being  pun- 
ished for  his  trespass,  the  youth's  unceremonious  visit  led 
to  his  marriage  with  the  mandarin's  daughter.  Hence  the 
figure  of  a  butterfly  is  a  symbol  of  successful  love,  and 
Chinese  bridegrooms  are  wont  to  present  jade  butter- 
flies to  their  fiancees. 

A.  Chinese  jade  ornament  constituting  a  child's  amu- 
let assumes  a  form  approximating  to  that  of  a  padlock. 
tWhen  this  is  attached  to  a  child's  neck,  it  is  supposed  to 

08  Chalf  ante,  "  Early  Chinese  Writing/'  PI.  XXII,  No.  299. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES         85 

bind  the  little  one  to  life  and  protect  it  from  all  danger 
in  infantile  diseases.  A  jade  object  of  a  different  kind  is 
sometimes  used  at  nuptial  feasts  in  China.  This  is  a  cup 
having  the  form  of  a  cock,  and  both  bride  and  groom, 
drink  from  it.  The  form  of  this  vessel  is  accounted  for 
by  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  when  a  beautiful  white  cock 
saw  its  young  mistress,  who  had  often  petted  it,  throw 
herself  into  a  well  in  a  transport  of  despair  at  the  loss  of 
her  lover,  the  faithful  fowl  sought  and  found  death  in 
the  same  way,  so  as  not  to  be  separated  from  its  mistress. 

Among  the  splendid  Chinese  jade  carvings  of  the 
"Woodward  Collection  is  a  curious  symbolic  ornament 
carved  out  of  the  rare  fei-ts'ui  yii,  or  "kingfisher-green 
jade,"  a  rich  emerald  green  jadeite  with  translucent 
green  shading.  This  ornament,  executed  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  eighteenth  century  and  believed  to  be  a 
product  of  the  Imperial  Jade  Works  in  Peking,  figures 
the  natural  form  of  a  so-called  "hand-of -Buddha"  citron, 
the  finger-like  protuberances  of  the  fruit  suggesting  this 
strangely  fanciful  name.  The  Chinese  regard  this  as  a 
most  felicitous  emblem,  denoting  at  once  a  long  life  and 
abundance  of  riches  for  its  enjoyment.  In  the  present 
carving  the  figure  of  a  bat  clinging  to  the  foliage  envelop- 
ing the  fruit  constitutes  an  added  omen  of  good  fortune, 
the  Chinese  character  fu  signifying  at  once  "bat"  and 
"happiness, "  another  proof  of  what  we  are  prone  to  call 
Chinese  queerness,  for  with  the  superstitious  of  our  race 
the  bat  is  always  looked  upon  as  especially  ill-omened.70 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  many  analogies  have  been 
found  between  the  customs,  usages,  and  products  of  the 
more  civilized  aborigines  of  the  New  World  and  those  of 

T0  "  Catalogue  of  the  "Woodward  Collection  of  Jades  and  other  Hard 
Stones,"  by  John  Getz,  Privately  printed  (New  York),  1913,  p.  11, 
No.  24. 


86       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  ancient  Egyptians.  Another  instance  is  offered  by 
the  custom  of  placing  a  piece  of  chalchihuitl  (jade?)  or 
of  some  other  green  stone  in  the  mouth  of  a  noble?  after 
his  death,  and  calling  this  his  heart.  Among  the  lower 
classes  a  texa&octli,  a  stone  of  small  value,  was  used  for 
the  same  purpose.  "We  shall  see  that,  in  the  Egyptian 
"Book  of  the  Dead,"  directions  are  given  for  putting  a 
semi-precious  stone  on  or  in  a  mummy,  as  a  symbol,  and 
designating  this  the  heart  of  the  deceased  person.  For 
the  use  of  a  green  stone  for  this  purpose  by  the  ancient 
Mexicans,  Mrs.  Zelia  Nuttall  finds  a  reason  in  the  two 
meanings  of  the  Nahuatl  word  xoxouhqui-yollott,  which 
is  used  to  signify  a  "free  man,"  the  literal  meaning 
being  a  "fresh  or  green  heart."  Hence,  the  stone  was  a 
symbol  of  the  rank  of  the  deceased  as  well  as  of  Ms 
heart.71  The  fact  that  jade  celts  have  been  found  cut 
into  several  pieces  is  taken  to  indicate  the  high  value 
placed  upon  this  material;  for  it  has  been  conjectured  by 
Dr.  Earle  Flint,  that  a  living  chief  would  cut  a  piece 
from  the  jade  he  wore  as  a  sign  of  his  rank,  in  order  to 
provide  a  suitable  ornament  or  amulet  for  a  dead  kins- 
man. 

To  certain  of  the  Chinese  "tomb- jades" — that  is, 
jade  amulets  deposited  with  the  dead — has  been  given  the 
name  Jian-yii,  or  "mouth-jade,"  because  these  amulets, 
supposed  to  afford  protection  to  the  dead,  were  placed  in 
their  mouths.  The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  in  New 
York  contains  a  fine  collection  of  279  specimens  of  jade 
from  Chinese  tombs,  found  within  the  past  five  or  six 
years,  and  presented  to  the  museum  by  Mr.  Samuel  F. 

71  Zelia  Nuttall,  "The  Fundamental  Principles  of  Old  and  New 

World  Civilization,"  Cambridge,  Mass.,  1901,  p.  195.  Archaeological 

and  Ethnographical  Papers  of  the  Peabody  Museum,  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, vol.  ii. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         87 

Peters.  In  color  these  jades  are  not  especially  attractive, 
for  the  material  has  acquired  a  brownish  stain,  due  to  the 
products  of  decomposition  of  the  body,  and  also  to  the 
absorption  of  some  of  the  chemical  constituents  of  the 
other  objects  in  the  tomb,  during  the  long  period  of  time, 
in  many  cases  a  thousand  years  or  more,  since  the  bodies 
were  consigned  to  their  final  resting  place. 

So  multifarious  are  the  uses  to  which  jade  is  put  by 
the  Chinese,  and  so  great  is  their  admiration  of  its 
qualities,  that  they  regard  it  as  the  musical  gem  par 
excellence.  A  series  of  oblong  pieces  of  jade,  of  the  same 
length  and  width,  usually  about  1.8  feet  long  and  ?.35 
feet  wide,  and  numbering  from  12  to  24,  constitute  a 
chime,  the  difference  in  the  notes  emitted  by  the  material 
when  sharply  struck  depending  upon  the  varying  thick- 
ness of  the  separate  pieces.  What  is  designated  the 
"  stone  chime' y  used  in  court  and  religious  ceremonials,  is 
composed  of  16  undecorated  stones,  while  a  series  known 
as  the  singers  *  chime  consists  of  from  12  to  24  pieces 
carved  into  fantastic  shapes.  This  use  of  jade  for  the 
production  of  musical  sounds  dates  far  back  in  the 
Chinese  annals.  We  are  told  that  when  Confucius  was 
much  troubled  at  the  ill-success  of  his  efforts  to  reform 
the  Chinese  morals  of  his  day,  he  sought  consolation  in 
playing  on  the  "musical  stone/'  A  peasant  who  noted 
this  in  passing  by,  exclaimed,  as  he  heard  the  sounds: 
"Full  indeed  is  the  heart  of  him  who  beats  the  musical 
stone  like  that  !"72 

A  jade  ornament  greatly  favored  by  the  Maoris  of 

72 The  Bishop  Collection.  "Investigations  and  Studies  in  Jade/' 
New  York,  privately  printed,  1906,  vol.  i,  pt.  iii,  "  Jade  as  a  Mineral," 
by  George  Frederick  Kunz,  p.  117.  Nos.  421  and  646  of  the  collection 
are  excellent  examples  of  this  special  jade. 


88      THE  CUBIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

New  Zealand  bore  the  name  Jiei-tiki  ("a  carved  image  for 
the  neck").  The  ornaments  of  this  class  are  very  rude 
and  grotesque  representations  of  the  human  face  or 
form,  and  were  generally  regarded  as  schematically 
figuring  some  departed  ancestor.  The  head  sometimes 
slanted  right  or  left,  so  that  the  eyes,  which  were  very 
large  and  occasionally  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl,  were 
on  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  These  ornaments  were 
prized  not  only  as  memorials,  but  because,  having  been 
worn  by  successive  ancestors,  they  were  supposed  to  com- 
municate something  of  the  very  being  of  those  ancestors 
to  such  descendants  as  were  privileged  to  wear  the  treas- 
ured heirloom  in  their  turn.  In  many  cases,  when  the 
family  was  dying  out,  the  last  male  member  would  leave 
directions  that  his  Jiei-tiki  should  be  buried  with  him, 
so  that  it  might  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  strangers.73 

So  rare  was  this  New  Zealand  jade,  known  to  the 
Maoris  as  punamu  (green-stone),  that  the  aid  of  a 
tohunga,  or  wizard,  was  regarded  as  necessary  to  learn 
where  it  could  be  found,  On  setting  forth  on  a  search 
for  this  material,  the  jade-seekers  would  take  with  them 
a  tohunga,  and  when  the  party  reached  the  region  where 
jade  was  usually  found  the  tohunga  would  retire  to  some 
solitary  spot  and  would  fall  into  a  trance.  On  awaking 
he  would  claim  that  the  spirit  of  some  person,  dead  or 
living,  had  appeared  to  him  and  had  directed  to  search  in 
a  particular  place  for  the  jade.  He  would  then  conduct 

73  The  Bishop  Collection.  "  Investigations  and  Studies  in  Jade," 
New  York,  1906,  vol.  i,  p.  12.  Privately  printed  and  edition  limited  to 
100  copies.  For  a  description  of  this  monumental  work  see  "  The  Printed 
Catalogue  of  the  Heber  E.  Bishop  Collection  of  Jade,"  by  George 
Frederick  Kunz,  supplement  to  the  Bulletin  of  the  Metropolitan 
Museum  of  Art  for  May,  1906,  Occasional  Notes,  No.  1.. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         89 

the  party  to  this  place,  where  a  larger  or  smaller  piece  of 
jade  was  invariably  found.  Of  course  the  wizard  had 
previously  assured  himself  of  the  presence  of  the  stone 
in  the  place  indicated, 

To  this  jade  was  given  the  name  of  the  man  whose 
spirit  had  revealed  its  location,  and  in  many  cases  the 
grotesque  form  given  to  the  stone  was  conceived  to  rep- 
resent this  man.  "We  can  easily  understand  the  reverence 
accorded  to  the  hei-tikis  when  we  consider  that  they  were 
not  only  prized  as  heirlooms,  which  had  been  handed 
down  by  the  successive  heads  of  the  family,  but  were  also 
believed  to  have  been  originally  found  in  such  a  mys- 
terious way. 

"When  the  head  of  the  family  died,  his  Jiei-tiki  was 
generally  buried  with  his  body,  but  was  exhumed  after  a 
shorter  or  longer  time  by  the  nearest  male  relative.  As 
we  have  noted,  if  no  representative  of  the  family 
remained,  the  heirloom  was  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
grave.  The  fact  that  tribal  or  intertribal  feuds  some- 
times arose  in  regard  to  the  possession  of  a  heirtiki 
serves  to  prove  the  peculiar  virtues  ascribed  to  them. 

While  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  heirloom  was 
supposed  to  represent,  in  a  very  general  way,  the  person 
whose  name  it  bore,  the  particular  form  given  it  was 
largely  determined  by  the  natural  shape  of  the  mass, 
which  was  slowly  and  patiently  fashioned  into  the  form 
it  eventually  acquired.  Though  this  was  mainly  due  to 
the  imperfect  means  of  which  the  artist  disposed,  there 
was  probably  a  conviction  that  the  form  of  the  natural 
stone  was  not  the  result  of  accident,  but  was  in  itself 
significant  and  required  only  to  be  rendered  more  clear 
and  definite.  The  fabrication  of  the  hei-tilcis  of  the 
Maoris  is  said  to  have  ceased  in  the  early  part  of  the  last 


90       THE  CUKIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

century.  The  greater  number  of  those  that  have  been 
collected  in  New  Zealand  appear  to  have  been  made  from 
one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.74 


The  jasper  had  great  repute  in  ancient  times  as  a 
rain-bringer?  and  the  fourth  century  author  of  "Lithica" 
celebrates  this  quality  in  the  following  lines  :  75 

The  gods  propitious  hearken  to  his  prayers, 
Whoe'er  the  polished  grass-green  jasper  wears; 
His  parched  glebe  they'll  satiate  with  rain, 
And  send  for  showers  to  soak  the  thirsty  plain. 

Evidently  the  green  hue  of  this  translucent  stone  sug- 
gested its  association  with  the  verdure  of  the  fields  in  an 
even  closer  degree  than  was  the  case  with  transparent 
green  stones  such  as  the  emerald,  etc.  Another  early 
authority,  Damigeron,  mentions  this  belief,  and  states 
that  only  when  properly  consecrated  would  the  jasper  do 
service  in  this  way.76  Jasper  was  also  credited  in  the 
fourth  century  with  the  virtue  of  driving  away  evil  spirits 
and  protecting  those  who  wore  it  from  the  bites  of  veno- 
mous creatures.77  An  anonymous  German  author  of  the 
eleventh  or  twelfth  century  recommends  the  use  of  this 
stone  for  the  cure  of  snake  bites,  and  states  that  if  it 
be  placed  upon  the  bitten  part  the  matter  will  come  out 

w  See  Fischer,  "  Ueber  die  Nephritindustrie  der  Maoris  in  Neusee- 
iand/'  Archiv  fiir  Anthropologie,  vol.  xv,  Braunschweig,  1884,  pp. 
463-466. 

75  King's  version  in  his  Natural  History  of  Precious  Stones,  Lon- 
don, 1865,  p.  382. 

7*  Pitra,  "  Specilegium  Solesmense,"  Parish's,  1855,  p.  328. 

77  Epiphanius,  "  De  XII  gemmis,"  Tiguri,  1565,  f  ols.  7,  & 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         91 

from  the  wound.78  Here  the  cure  is  operated,  not  by  the 
absorbent  quality  of  the  stone,  but  by  its  supposed  power 
to  attract  poison  or  venom  to  itself,  thus  removing  the 
cause  of  disease. 

A  popular  etymology  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  name 
for  jasper  is  reported  by  Bartolomseus  Anglicus,  who 
writes  that  "in  the  head  of  an  adder  that  hyght  Aspis 
is  founde  a  lytyl  stone  that  is  called  Jaspis."  The  same 
authority  pronounces  this  stone  to  be  of  "wonder  ver- 
tue,"  and  says  that  "it  hath  as  many  vertues  as  dyvers 
coloures  and  veines."79  This  is  fully  in  accord  with 
tradition,  for,  as  color  was  at  least  as  important  as  chem- 
ical composition  in  determining  the  talismanic  or  thera- 
peutic worth  of  the  different  stones,  the  great  variety 
of  colors  and  markings  in  the  different  jaspers  naturally 
indicated  their  use  in  many  different  ways. 


Jet  has  been  found  among  the  palaeolithic  remains  in 
the  caves  of  the  "Kesslerloch,"  near  Thayngen,  Canton 
Schaffhausen,  Switzerland.  The  material  was  evidently 
derived  from  the  deposits  in  Wurtemberg  and  was  shaped 
by  flint  chips.  Quite  possibly  jet,  as  well  as  amber,  was 
already  regarded  as  possessing  a  certain  talismanie  vir- 
tue. Such  ornaments,  when  worn,  were  believed  to  be- 
come a  part  of  the  very  body  and  soul  of  the  wearer,  and 
were  therefore  to  be  guarded  with  jealous  care.80  In  the 

T8Birlinger,  "Kleinere  deutsche  Sprachdenkmaler,"  in  Germania, 
vol.  viii  (1863),  p.  302. 

79  Bartolomaai      Anglici     "  De     proprietatibus     rerum,"     London, 
Wyiikyn  de  Worde,  1495,  lib.  xvi,  cap.  51,  De  Jaspide.     Old  English 
version  by  John  of  Trevisa. 

80  Hoernes,  "  Urgesehichte  der  bildenden  Kunst,"  Wien,  1898,  pp. 
22,  24. 


92   THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

palaeolithic  cave-deposits  of  Belgium  also,  jet  appears, 
the  supply  being  in  this  instance  derived  from  northern 
Lorraine.  The  fragments  had  been  rounded  and  pierced 
through  the  centre.81  This  indicates  their  use  as  parts 
of  a  necklace  or  as  pendants.  Necklaces,  bracelets,  and 
rings  were  especially  favored  for  the  wearing  of  talis- 
manic  gems,  since  the  stones  could  easily  be  so  set  that 
they  would  come  in  direct  contact  with  the  skin. 

Jet  was  one  of  the  materials  used  by  the  Pueblo 
Indians  for  their  amulets.  An  exceptionally  well-exe- 
cuted figure  of  a  frog  made  of  this  material  was  found 
in  Pueblo  Bonito,  in  1896,  by  Mr.  Pepper.  The  repre- 
sentation is  much  more  realistic  than  is  the  case  in  the 
other  figures  of  this  type  from  this  region.  Turquoise 
eyes  have  been  inserted  in  the  head  of  the  figure  and  a 
band  of  turquoise  surrounds  the  neck.82 


Both  in  Babylonia  and  in  Egypt,  lapis-lazuli  was  very 
highly  valued,  and  this  is  shown  by  the  use  of  its  Assy- 
rian name  (uknu)  in  poetic  metaphor.  Thus,  in  a  hymn 
to  the  moon-god  Sin,  he  is  addressed  as  the  "strong  bull, 
great  of  horns,  perfect  in  form,  with  long  flowing  beard, 
bright  as  lapis-lazuli.  "83  This  may  remind  us  of  the 
"hyacinthine  locks"  of  classical  literature. 

Lapis-lazuli,  "a  blue  stone  with  little,  golden  spots,  " 
was  a  cure  for  melancholy  and  for  the  "quartern  fever," 

^Dupont,  "L'homme  pendant  les  ages  de  la  pierre,"  Brussels, 
1872,  pp.  156  sqq. 

83  Pepper,  "  The  Exploration  of  a  Burial-room  in  Pueblo  Bonito/' 
Putnam  Anniversary  Volume,  New  York,  1909,  p.  237. 

88  Ward,  "  Seal  Cylinders  of  Western  Asia/'  Washington,  D.  C., 
1910,  p.  121;  citing  Jastrow,  "Religion,"  p.  303. 


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TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         93 

an  intermittent  fever  returning  each,  third  day,  or  each 
fourth,  day  counting  in  the  previous  attack.84 

Eoafcgtone 

We  have  the  authority  of  Plato  (Ion,  533  D)  for  the 
statement  that  the  word  magnetis  was  first  applied  to  the 
loadstone  by  the  tragic  poet  Euripides  (480-405  B.C.), 
the  more  usual  name  being  "the  Heraclean  stone." 
These  designations  refer  to  two  p]aces  in  Lydia,  Mag- 
nesia and  Herakleia,  where  the  mineral  was  found.85 
Pliny  states,  on  the  authority  of  Nicander,  that  a  certain 
Magnes,  a  shepherd,  discovered  the  mineral  on  Mount 
Ida,  while  pasturing  his  flock,  because  the  nails  of  his 
shoes  clung  to  a  piece  of  it.86 

We  are  told  by  Pliny  that  Ptolemy  Philadelphus  (309- 
247  B.C.),  planning  to  erect  a  temple  in  honor  of  his  sister 
and  wife  Arsinoe,  called  in  the  aid  of  Chirocrates,  an 
Alexandrian  architect.  The  latter  engaged  to  place 
therein  an  iron  statue  of  Arsinoe  which  should  appear  to 
hang  in  mid-air  without  support.  However,  both  the 
Egyptian  king  and  his  architect  died  before  the  design 
could  be  realized.87  This  story  of  an  image  held  in  sus- 
pense by  means  of  powerful  magnets  set  in  the  floor  and 
roof,  and  sometimes  also  in  the  walls  of  a  temple,  is 
repeated  in  a  variety  of  forms  by  early  writers.  Of 

"Albertus  Magnus,  "Le  Grand  Albert  des  secretz  des  verfcus  des 
Herbes,  Pierres  et  Bestes.  Et  aultre  livre  des  Merveilles  du  Monde, 
d'aulcuns  effetz  cansez  daulcunes  bestes/7  Turin,  Bernard  du  mont  du 
Chat  (c.  1515).  Liv.  ii,  foL  11,  recto. 

18  The  Tima3us  of  Plato,  ed.  by  R.  R.  Archer-Hind,  London,  1888, 
p.  302,  note. 

"Plinii,  "Historia  naturalis,"  Venetiis,  1507,  fol.  269  verso,  lib. 
xxxvi,  cap.  16. 

ST  Plinii,  1.  c.,  fol.  254,  verso,  lib.  xxxiv,  cap.  14. 


94      THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

course,  there  was  no  real  foundation  for  such  tales,  as 
the  thing  is  altogether  impracticable. 

The  Eoman  poet  Claudian  (fifth  century  A.D.)  relates 
that  the  priests  of  a  certain  temple,  in  order  to  offer  a 
dramatic  spectacle  to  the  eyes  of  the  worshippers,  caused 
two  statues  to  be  executed, — one  of  Mars  in  iron,  and 
another  of  Venus  in  loadstone.  At  a  special  festival  these 
statues  were  placed  near  to  each  other,  and  the  loadstone 
drew  the  iron  to  itself.  Claudian  vividly  describes  this : 

The  priests  prepare  a  marriage  feast. 

Behold  a  marvel !    Instant  to  her  arms 

Her  eager  husband  Cythereia  charms; 

And  ever  mindful  of  her  ancient  fires, 

"With  amorous  breath  his  martial  breast  inspires; 

Lifts  the  loved  weight,  close  round  his  helmet  twines 

Her  loving  arms,  and  close  embraces  joins, 

Drawn  by  the  mystic  influence  from  afar. 

Flies  to  the  wedded  gem  the  God  of  War. 

The  Magnet  weds  the  Steel :  the  sacred  rites 

Nature  attends,  and  th7  heavenly  pair  unites.88 

There  was  current  as  early  as  the  fourth  century  a 
curious  belief  that  a  piece  of  loadstone,  if  placed  beneath 
the  pillow  of  a  sleeping  wife,  would  act  as  a  touchstone 
of  her  virtue.  This  first  appears  in  the  Alexandrian 
poem  "Lithica,"  and  it  has  been  thus  quaintly  Englished 
by  a  fourteenth  century  translator : 

Also  magnes  is  in  lyke  wyse  as  adamas;  yf  it  be  sett  under  the 
heed  of  a  chaste  wyfe,  it  makyth  her  sodenly  to  beclyppe  [embrace] 
her  husbonde;  &  yf  she  be  a  spowse  breker,  she  shall  meve  her  onte 
of  the  bed  sodenly  by  drede  of  fantasy.80 

88 King's  metrical  version  in  his  "Natural  History  of  Gems," 
London,  1865,  p.  226. 

89  John  of  Travisa's  version  (made  in  1396)  of  Bartholomaeus 
Anglieus'  "De  proprietatibus  rerum/'  London,  Wynkyn  de  Worde, 
1495,  lib.  xvi,  cap.  43,  De  Magnete. 


TALISMANIG  USE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES         95 

The  same  writer  attempts  an  explanation  of  the  pop- 
ular fancy  that  when  powdered  loadstone  was  thrown 
upon  coals  in  the  four  corners  of  a  house,  the  inmates 
would  feel  as  though  the  house  were  falling  down;  of 
this  he  says:  "That  seemynge  is  by  mevynge  [moving] 
that  comyth  by  tornynge  of  the  brayn."  80 

In  classical  writings  the  fascination  exercised  by  a 
very  beautiful  woman  is  sometimes  likened  to  the  attrac- 
tive power  of  the  loadstone,  as  notably  by  Lucian,91  who 
says  that  if  such  a  woman  looks  at  a  man  she  draws  him 
to  her,  and  leads  him  whither  she  will,  just  as  the 
loadstone  draws  the  iron.  To  the  same  idea  is  probably 
due  the  fact  that  in  several  languages  the  name  given 
to  the  loadstone  indicates  that  its  peculiar  power  was 
conceived  to  be  a  manifestation  of  the  sympathy  or  love 
of  one  mineral  substance  for  another.  This  is  commonly 
believed  to  be  the  sense  in  which  we  should  understand 
the  French  designation  aimant,  namely,  as  the  participle 
of  the  verb  aimer,  "to  love";  however,  some  etymolo- 
gists prefer  to  derive  the  word  from  adamas,  sometimes 
used  in  Low  Latin  for  the  loadstone,  although  properly 
signifying  the  diamond.  It  is  certainly  worthy  of  note 
that  in  two  such  dissimilar  languages  as  Sanskrit  and 
Chinese,  the  influence  of  this  idea  appears  in  the  names 
given  to  the  loadstone.  In  Sanskrit  the  word  is  chum- 
~baka  or  "the  kisser,"  and  in  Chinese  t(  su  slii,  or  "the 
loving-stone. "  Chin  T'sang  KM,  a  Chinese  author  of 
the  eighth  century,  wrote  that  "the  loadstone  attracts 
Iron  just  as  does  a  tender  mother  when  she  calls  her 
children  to  her.92 

*°  Bartolomsei  Angliei,  "  De  proprietatibus  rerum,"  1.  c. 
"•Lneian,  Imag.  I. 

92  Klaprotk,  "  Lettre  a  M.  le  Baron  A.  de  Humboldt  sur  ^invention 
de  la  boussole,"  Paris,  1834,  p.  20. 


96   THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

A  rich  growth  of  Mohammedan  legends  grew  up  about 
the  exploits  of  Alexander  the  Great,  a  striking  example 
being  given  on  another  page,  and  in  one  of  them  it  is  re- 
lated that  the  Greek  world-conqueror  provided  his  sol- 
diers with  loadstones  as  a  defence  against  the  wiles  of  the 
jinns,  or  evil  spirits;  the  loadstone,  as  well  as  magnetized 
iron,  being  regarded  as  a  sure  defence  against  enchant- 
ments and  all  the  machinations  of  malignant  spirits.93 

In  the  East  Indies  it  is  said  that  a  king  should  have  a 
seat  of  loadstone  at  his  coronation;  probably  because  the 
magnetic  influence  of  the  stone  was  supposed  to  attract 
power,  favor,  and  gifts  to  the  sovereign.  But  it  is  not 
only  in  the  Orient  that  magnetite  is  prized  for  its  talis- 
manic  powers,  for  even  in  some  parts  of  our  own  land  this 
belief  is  still  prevalent.  Large  quantities  of  loadstone 
are  found  at  Magnet  Cove,  Arkansas,  and  it  is  estimated 
that  from  one  to  three  tons  are  sold  annually  to  the 
negroes  to  be  used  in  the  Voodoo  ceremonies  as  conjuring 
stones.  The  material  has  been  found  in  land  used  for 
farming  purposes,  and  many  pieces  have  been  turned  up 
in  ploughing  for  corn ;  these  vary  from  the  size  of  a  pea 
to  masses  weighing  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds.  They 
occur  in  a  reddish-brown,  sticky  soil;  their  surface  is 
smooth  and  brown  and  they  have  the  appearance  of  water- 
worn  pebbles.  In  July,  1887,  an  interesting  case  was  tried 
in  Macon,  Georgia,  where  a  negro  woman  sued  a  con- 
juror to  recover  five  dollars  which  she  had  paid  him  for 
a  piece  of  loadstone  to  serve  as  a  charm  to  bring  back 
her  wandering  husband.  As  the  market  value  of  this 
mineral  was  only  seventy-five  cents  a  pound,  and  the  piece 

83 From  El  Kazwini's  "Ad jail  el  makluqnat " ;  cited  in  marginal 
note,  vol.  i,  pp.  310,  311,  of  El  Damn's  "Hayat  el  liayauan,"  Cairo, 
1313  (1895). 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES          97 

was  very  small,  weighing  but  a  few  ounces,  the  judge 
ordered  that  the  money  should  be  refunded.94 


For  some  reason  not  easy  to  fathom,  malachite  was 
considered  to  be  a  talisman  peculiarly  appropriate  for 
children.  If  a  piece  of  this  stone  were  attached  to  an 
infant's  cradle,  all  evil  spirits  were  held  aloof  and  the 
child  slept  soundly  and  peacefully.95  In  some  parts  of 
Germany,  malachite  shared  with  turquoise  the  repute  of 
protecting  the  wearer  from  danger  in  falling,  and  it  also 
gave  warning  of  approaching  disaster  by  breaking  into 
several  pieces.96  This  material  was  well  known  to  the 
ancient  Egyptians,  malachite  mines  having  been  worked 
between  Suez  and  Sinai  as  early  as  4000  B.C. 

The  appropriate  design  to  be  engraved  upon  mala- 
chite was  the  image  of  the  sun.  Such  a  gem  became  a 
powerful  talisman  and  protected  the  wearer  from  en- 
chantments, from  evil  spirits,  and  from  the  attacks  of 
venomous  creatures.97  The  sun,  as  the  source  of  all  light, 
was  generally  regarded  as  the  deadly  enemy  of  necro- 
mancers, witches,  and  demons,  who  delighted  in  the  dark- 
ness and  feared  nothing  more  than  the  bright  light  of  day. 


The  moonstone  is  believed  to  bring  good  fortune  and 
is  regarded  as  a  sacred  stone  in  India.  It  is  never  dis- 
played for  sale  there,  except  on  a  yellow  cloth,  as  yellow 

94  Kunz,  "  Gems  and  Precious  Stones  of  North  America,"  New 
York,  1890,  p.  192. 

"5Marbodei,  "De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  foL  51;  Camilli  Leon- 
ard!, "  Speculum  lapidum,"  Yenetia,  1502,  fol.  xxxvili. 

w  Chiocci,  "  Museum  Caleeolarium,"  Veronae,  1622,  p.  227. 

87  De  Boot,  "  Gemmarum  et  lapidum  histoxia,"  Lug.  Bat.,  1636,  p. 
264,  lib.  ii,  cap,  113, 
7 


98       THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

is  an  especially  sacred  color.  As  a  gift  for  lovers  the 
moonstone  takes  a  high  rank,  for  it  is  believed  to  arouse 
the  tender  passion,  and  to  give  lovers  the  power  to  read 
in  the  future  the  fortune,  good  or  ill,  that  is  in  store  for 
them.  To  gain  this  knowledge,  however,  the  stone  must 
be  placed  in  the  mouth  while  the  moon  is  full.98 

Antoine  Mizauld  "  tells  us  of  a  selenite  or  moonstone 
owned  by  a  friend  of  his,  a  great  traveller.  This  stone, 
about  the  size  of  the  gold  piece  known  as  the  gold  noble, 
but  somewhat  thicker,  indicated  the  waxing  and  waning 
of  the  moon  by  a  certain  white  point  or  mark  which  grew 
larger  or  smaller  as  did  the  moon.  Mizauld  relates  that 
to  convince  himself  of  the  truth  of  this  he  obtained  pos- 
session of  the  stone  for  one  lunar  month,  during  which 
time  he  sedulously  observed  it.  The  white  mark  first 
appeared  at  the  top.  It  was  like  a  small  millet-seed,  in- 
creasing in  size  and  moving  down  on  the  stone,  always 
assuming  the  form  of  the  moon  until,  on  reaching  the 
middle,  it  was  round  like  the  full  moon;  then  the  mark 
gradually  passed  up  again  as  the  moon  diminished.  The 
owner  declared  that  he  had  "vowed  and  dedicated  this 
stone  to  the  young  king  [Edward  VI],  who  was  then 
highly  esteemed  because  he  had  good  judgment  in  regard 
to  rare  and  precious  things." 


The  onyx,  if  worn  on  the  neck,  was  said  to  cool  the 
ardors  of  love,  and  Oardano  relates  that  everywhere  in 
India  the  stone  was  worn  for  this  purpose.100  This  belief 
is  closely  related  to  the  idea  commonly  associated  with  the 
onyx,  —  namely,  that  it  provoked  discord  and  separated 

98  Marbodei,  "  De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  f  ol.  51. 

89  "  Les  secrets  de  la  Lune/?  Paris,  1571. 

300  Cardani,  «  De  subtilitate/*  lib.  vii,  Basileae,  1560,  p.  464. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES         99 

lovers.  The  close  union  and  yet  the  strange  contrast  be- 
tween the  layers  of  black  and  white  may  have  suggested 
this. 


Crystals  of  iron  pyrites  (pyrite,  native  iron  disul- 
phide)  are  sometimes  used  as  amulets  by  the  North 
American  Indians,  and  the 
belief  in  their  magic  power 
is  attested  by  their  presence 
in  the  outfit  of  miscellane- 
ous objects  which  the  medi- 
cine-men use  in  the  course 
of  their  incantations.  Be- 
cause these  gleaming  yellow 
crystals  are  occasionally 
mistaken  for  gold,  the 
name  "fool's  gold"  has 
been  popularly  bestowed 
upon  them.101 

Of  this  material  the 
ancient  Mexicans  made 
wonderful  mirrors,  one  side 
being  usually  polished 
flat,  while  the  other  side 
was  strongly  convex.  Fre- 
quently this  side  was  curi- 
ously carved  with  some  symbolic  representation  as  ap- 
pears in  the  case  of  a  pyrite  mirror  of  the  Pinard  collec- 
tion in  the  Trocadero,  Paris.102 

101 "  Handbook  of  American  Indians  North  of  Mexico/'  ed.  by 
Frederick  Webb  Hodge;  Smithsonian  Inst.;  Bur.  Am.  Ethn.,  Bull.  30; 
Washington,  1910,  Pt.  2,  p.  331. 

102Kunz,  "Gems  and  Precious  Stones  of  North  America/7  Nevf 
York,  1890,  pp.  299,  300. 


OBSIDIAN  MIRROR,  FROM  OAXACA, 
MEXICO.  NOW  IN  TROCAD^IRO 
MUSEUM,  PARIS. 

See  "  Gems  and  Precious  Stones  of  North 
America,"  by  George  Frederick  Kunz,  New 
York,  1890,  p.  299. 


100     THE  CUKIOUS  LOEE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 


The  popular  belief  in  Ms  time  as  to  the  origin  of  rock- 
crystal  is  voiced  by  St.  Jerome,  when,  using  the  words 
of  Pliny,  although  not  citing  his  authority,  he  says  that 
it  was  formed  by  the  congelation  of  water  in  dark  caverns 
of  the  mountains,  where  the  temperature  was  intensely 
cold,  so  that,  "While  a  stone  to  the  touch,  it  seems  like 


BOCK-CRYSTAL  SKULL,  ANCIENT  MEXICAN 

Weighing  475  X  °z-  Troy.    Now  in  the  British  Museum,  London.  From  "  Gems  and  Precious 
Stones  of  North  America,"  by  George  Frederick  Kunz,  New  York,  1890,  p.  285. 

water  to  the  eye."  This  belief  was  evidently  due  to  the 
fact  that  rock-crystal  was  so  often  found  in  mountain 
clefts  and  caverns.  Symbolically,  it  signified  that  those 
within  the  portals  of  the  Church  should  keep  themselves 
free  from  stain  and  have  a  pure  faith.103 

The  Chinese  emperor  Wu  was  devoted  to  the  service 
of  the  gods  and  of  the  immortal  spirits.  He  built  many 
edifices  for  religious  purposes,  and  all  the  doors  of  these 

103  Sancti  Eusebii  Hieronymi  "  Opera  Chirm  a,"  ed.  Migne,  vol.  iv, 
Parisiis,  1865,  col.  545. 


OBSIDIAN  MASK,  FROM  THE  FAYOUM,  EGYPT. 

Twelfth  Dynasty.     Late  De  Lesseps  Collection.    Collection  of  Mrs.  Henry  Draper.    The  ob- 
sidian is  the  typical  stone  of  Mexico. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        101 

buildings  were  made  of  white  rock-crystal,  so  that  a  flood 
of  light  poured  into  the  interior.  Although  the  Chinese 
texts  call  this  material  rock-crystal,  it  is  possible  that  the 
name  was  applied  to  glass  when  that  substance  was  but 
recently  introduced  into  China.104 

Regarding  this  same  "rock-crystal"  a  humorous  tale 
is  related.  Muan-f  en,  a  mandarin  who  had  a  great  terror 
of  draughts,  was  once  received  in  the  palace  by  one  of  the 
Chinese  emperors.  The  doors  of  the  audience  chamber 
were  of  rock-crystal  and  were  tightly  closed,  but,  because 
of  the  transparency  of  the  material,  they  seemed  to  be 
wide  open,  and  the  emperor  was  greatly  amused  to  note 
that  Muan-f  en  was  shivering  with  cold,  although  the  tem- 
perature of  the  room  was  quite  comfortable.105 

An  exceptionally  fine  specimen  of  Aztec  work  is  a 
skull  carved  out  of  rock-crystal.  It  weighs  475*4  ounces 
Troy,  and  measures  8%  inches  in  width. 


The  ruby  has  many  names  in  Sanskrit,  some  of  them 
clearly  showing  that  it  was  more  valued  as  a  gem  by  the 
Hindus  than  any  other.  For  instance,  it  is  called  rat- 
naraj,  "king  of  precious  stones,  "  and  ratnandyaka, 
"leader  of  precious  stones;"  another  name,  applied  to  a 
particular  shade  of  ruby  is  padmaraga,  "red  as  the 
lotus."106 

The  glowing  hue  of  the  ruby  suggested  the  idea  that 
an  inextinguishable  flame  burned  in  this  stone.  From 
this  fancy  came  the  assertion  that  the  inner  fire  could  not 

104  Pfizmeier,  "  Beitrage  zur  Geschichte  der  Edelsteinen  tmd  des 
Goldes,"  Sitzungsbericht  d.  phil.  hist.  KL,  Wien,  vol.  Iviii,  1868,  p.  200. 

1C*  Pfizmeier,  1.  c.,  p.  201. 

a<*  Garbe,  "  Die  indische  Mineralien  j  Nahaxari's  Eajanigliantu, 
Varga  XIII,  Leipzig,  1882,  p.  70. 


102     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

be  hidden,  as  it  would  shine  through  the  clothing  or 
through  any  material  that  might  be  wrapped  around  the 
stone.107  If  cast  into  the  water  the  ruby  communicated  its 
heat  to  the  liquid,  causing  it  to  boil.  The  dark  and  the 
star  rubies  were  called  "male"  stones,  the  others,  more 
especially,  however,  those  of  lighter  hue,  being  con- 
sidered as  "female"  stones.  All  varieties  served  to 
preserve  the  bodily  and  mental  health  of  the  wearer,  for 
they  removed  evil  thoughts,  controlled  amorous  desires, 
dissipated  pestilential  vapors,  and  reconciled  disputes.108 

In  the  "Lapidaire"  of  Philippe  de  Valois,  it  is  said 
that  "the  books  tell  us  the  beautiful  clear  and  fine  ruby 
is  the  lord  of  stones ;  it  is  the  gem  of  gems,  and  surpasses 
all  other  precious  stones  in  virtue."  In  the  time  of  Mar- 
bodus  (end  of  the  eleventh  century  A.D.)  the  same  proud 
place  was  assigned  to  the  sapphire.  The  ruby  is  spoken 
of  in  similar  terms  in  the  "Lapidaire  en  Vers,"  where  it 
is  called  "the  most  precious  of  the  twelve  stones  God 
created  when  He  created  all  creatures"  By  Christ's 
command  the  ruby  was  placed  on  Aaron's  neck,  "the 
ruby,  called  the  lord  of  gems ;  the  highly  prized,  the  dearly 
loved  ruby,  so  fair  with  its  gay  color." 109 

As  with  diamonds,  rubies  also  were  divided  by  the 
Hindus  into  four  castes.  The  true  Oriental  ruby  was 
a  Brahmin ;  the  rubicelle,  a  Kshatriya ;  the  spinel, a  Vaisya, 
and  lastly,  the  balas-ruby,  a  Sudra.  The  possession  of  a 
padmaraga,  or  Brahmin  ruby,  conferred  perfect  safety 
upon  the  owner,  and  as  long  as  he  owned  this  precious 
stone  he  could  dwell  without  fear  in  the  midst  of  enemies 

w  Epiphanii,  "  De  XII  gemmis,"  Tiguri,  1565,  f  ol.  5. 

108  Camilli  Leonard!,  "  Speculum  lapidum,"  Venetia,  1502,  f  ol.  xxvi. 

108  Pannier,  "  Les  lapidaires  f rancais,"  Paris,  1882,  pp.  246,  264, 
295.  Cited  in  Scbofield,  "  The  Pearl,"  Pub.  of  Mod.  Lang.  Asso.  of 
Am.,  vol.  xxiv,  Pt.  4,  p.  599, 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PHECIOUS  STONES        103 

and  was  shielded  from  adverse  fortune.  However,  great 
care  had  to  be  taken  to  preserve  this  ruby  of  the  first 
class  from  contact  with,  inferior  specimens,  as  its  virtue 
would  thereby  be  contaminated,  and  its  power  for  good 
correspondingly  diminished.110 

The  many  talismanic  virtues  of  the  ruby  are  noted  in 
the  fourteenth  century  treatise  attributed  to  Sir  John 
Mandeville.111  Here  the  fortunate  owner  of  a  brilliant 
ruby  is  assured  that  he  will  live  in  peace  and  concord  with 
all  men,  that  neither  his  land  nor  his  rank  will  be  taken 
from  him,  and  that  he  will  be  preserved  from  all  perils. 
The  stone  would  also  guard  his  house,  his  fruit-trees,  and 
his  vineyards  from  injury  by  tempests.  All  the  good 
effects  were  most  surely  secured  if  the  ruby,  set  in  ring, 
bracelet,  or  brooch,  were  worn  on  the  left  side. 

The  gorgeous  ruby,  the  favorite  gem  of  Burma,  where 
the  finest  specimens  are  found,  is  not  only  valued  for  its 
beauty,  but  is  also  believed  to  confer  invulnerability.  To 
attain  this  end,  however,  it  is  not  thought  to  be  sufficient 
to  wear  these  stones  in  a  ring  or  other  piece  of  jewelry, 
but  the  stone  must  be  inserted  in  the  flesh,  and  thus  be- 
come, so  to  speak,  a  part  of  its  owner's  body.  Those  who 
in  this  way  bear  about  with  them  a  ruby,  confidently  be- 
lieve that  they  cannot  be  wounded  by  spear,  sword,  or 
gun.112  As  it  is  often  remarked  that  the  most  daring  and 
reckless  soldiers  pass  unscathed  through  all  the  perils  of 
war,  we  can  understand  that  this  superstition  may  some- 
times appear  to  be  verified. 

110  Surindro  Mohun  Tagore,  "Mani  Mala/'  Pt  I,  Calcutta,  1879, 
p.  199. 

111  ff  Le  grand  lapidaire  de  Jean  de  Mandeville,"  from  the  ed.  of 
1561,  ed.  by  J.  S.  del  Sotto,  Vienne,  1862,  p.  8. 

113  Taw  Sein  Ko,  communication  from,  his  "  Burmese  Necromancy." 


104     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


The  sapphire  is  noted  as  a  regal  gem  by  Damigeron, 
who  asserts  that  kings  wore  it  about  their  necks  as  a 
powerful  defence  from  harm.  The  stone  preserved  the 
wearer  from  envy  and  attracted  divine  favor.113  For  royal 
use,  sapphires  were  set  in  bracelets  and  necklaces,  and  the 
sacred  character  of  the  stone  was  attested  by  the  tra- 
dition that  the  Law  given  to  Moses  on  the  Mount  was 
engraved  on  tablets  of  sapphire.114  While  we  should  prob- 
ably translate  here  "lapis-lazuli"  instead  of  " sapphire," 
all  such  passages  were  later  understood  as  referring  to 
the  true  sapphire,  which  is  not  found  in  pieces  of  the 
requisite  size. 

In  the  twelfth  century,  the  Bishop  of  Eennes  lavishes 
encomiums  upon  this  beautiful  stone.  It  is  quite  natural 
that  this  writer  should  lay  especial  stress  upon  the  use  of 
the  sapphire  for  the  adornment  of  rings,  for  it  was  in  his 
time  that  it  was  beginning  to  be  regarded  as  the  stone 
most  appropriate  for  ecclesiastical  rings.  The  sapphire 
was  like  the  pure  sky,  and  mighty  Nature  had  endowed 
it  with  so  great  a  power  that  it  might  be  called  sacred 
and  the  gem  of  gems.  Fraud  was  banished  from  its  pres- 
ence and  necromancers  honored  it  more  than  any  other 
stone,  for  it  enabled  them  to  hear  and  to  understand  the 
obscurest  oracles.115 

The  traditional  virtue  of  the  sapphire  as  an  antidote 
against  poison  is  noted  by  Bartolomseus  Anglicus,  who 
claims  to  have  seen  a  test  of  its  power,  somewhat  similar 
to  that  recorded  by  Ahmed  Teifashi  of  the  emerald.  In 

U8  Pitra,  "  Specilegium  Solesmense,"  Parisiis,  1855,  vol.  iii,  p.  328. 
**  Epiphanii,  "  De  XII  gemmis,"  Tiguri,  1565,  f  ol.  6. 
U5Marbodei,  "De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  fols.  46,  47. 


S  J= 

3  o 

PH  jg 

-<1  c 


TALISMANIC  USE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES       105 

John    of    Trevisa's    version    this    passage    reads    as 
follows : 116 

His  vertue  is  contrary  to  venym,  and  queneheth  it  every  deale. 
And  yf  you  put  an  attercoppe  UT  in  a  boxe  and  hold  a  very  saphyre  of 
Inde  at  the  mouth  of  the  boxe  ony  whyle,  by  vertue  thereof  the  atter- 
coppe is  overcome  &  dyeth  as  it  were  sodenly,  as  Dyase.  sayth  [pseudo 
Diosc  orides] .  And  this  same  I  have  assayed  oft  in  many  and  dyvers 
places.  His  vertue  kepeth  and  savyth  the  syght,  &  clearyth  eyen  of 
fylthe  wythout  ony  greyf , 

Voicing  the  general  belief  that  the  sapphire  was  en- 
dowed with  power  to  influence  spirits,  Bartolomaeus  says 
that  this  stone  was  a  great  favorite  with  those  who  prac- 
tised necromancy,  and  he  adds:  "Also  wytches  love  well 
this  stone,  for  they  wene  that  they  may  werke  certen 
wondres  by  vertue  of  this  stone.'7 11S 

There  was  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum,  in  London, 
a  splendid  sapphire  of  a  peculiar  tint.  In  the  daylight 
it  shows  a  beautiful  rich  blue  color,  while  by  artificial 
light  it  has  a  violet  hue  and  resembles  an  amethyst.  In 
the  eighteenth  century  this  stone  was  in  the  collection 
of  Count  de  Walicki,  a  Polish  nobleman,  and  Mme.  de 
G-enlis  used  it  as  the  theme  of  one  of  her  stories,  entitled 
"Le  Saphire  Merveilleux."  Here  the  sapphire  is  used 
as  a  test  of  female  virtue,  the  change  of  color  indicating 
unfaithfulness  on  the  part  of  the  wearer.  If  the  owner  of 
the  stone  wished  to  prove  that  the  subject  of  the  test  was 
innocent,  she  was  made  to  wear  the  sapphire  for  three 
hours  of  daylight ;  but  in  the  opposite  case  the  test  was  so 
timed  that  it  begaji  in  daylight  and  ended  when  the 


116  - 


8Bartolom8ei     Angliei,    "De    proprie-tatibus     renim,"    London, 
Wynkyn  de  Worde,  1495,  lib.  xvi,  cap.  86,  De  Saphiro. 
11T  Old  English  for  spider. 
118  Bartolomseus  Anglicus,  1.  e. 


106     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

candles  or  lamps  had  been  lighted.  This  sapphire,  still 
known  as  the  "Saphire  Merveillenx/'  was  for  a  time  in 
the  collection  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  bore  the  name 
of  Philippe  Egalite  during  the  French  Eevolution. 

The  star  sapphire  is  that  variety  of  sapphire  in  which, 
when  the  stone  is  cut  and  rounded  off  horizontal  with  the 
dome  of  the  crystal,  the  light  is  condensed  across  the  three 
lines  of  crystalline  interference.  Three  cross  lines  pro- 
duce a  star  which  moves  as  a  source  of  light,  or  as  it  is 
moved  from  the  source  of  light.  Star  sapphires  very 
rarely  possess  the  deep  blue  color  of  the  fine  blue  sap- 
phire; generally  the  color  is  somewhat  impure,  or  of  a 
milky-blue,  or  else  a  blue-gray,  or  sometimes  almost  a 
pure  white.  The  blue-gray,  gray,  and  white  stones  fre- 
quently show  a  much  more  distinct  star,  possibly  from 
the  fact  that  there  are  more  inclusions  between  the  layers 
of  the  crystals  than  with  the  darker  blue  stones,  as  it  is 
the  set  of  interference  bands  that  produces  the  peculiar 
light.  Just  as  the  eye  agate  was  used  in  some  countries 
to  preserve  against  the  Evil  Eye,  so  the  moving  star  is 
believed  by  the  Cingalese  to  serve  as  a  protection  and 
a  guard  against  witchcraft  of  all  kinds. 

The  great  Oriental  traveller,  Sir  Eichard  Francis 
Burton,  had  a  large  star  sapphire  or  asteria,  as  it  was 
called.  He  referred  to  it  as  his  talisman,  for  it  always 
brought  him  good  horses  and  prompt  attention  wherever 
he  went;  in  fact,  it  was  only  in  those  places  where  he 
received  proper  attention  that  he  would  show  it  to  the  na- 
tives, a  favor  they  greatly  appreciated,  because  the  sight 
of  the  stone  was  believed  to  bring  good  luck.  The  fame 
of  Burton's  asteria  travelled  ahead  of  him,  and  it  served 
him  well  as  a  guiding-star.  De  Boot,  writing  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  states  that  such  a  stone  was  called 
Siegstein  (victory-stone)  among  the  Germans. 


Rubellite,  irom  th«  Sh.ui  Mountai 
Chum.     Ubed  as  iUol\s  ej  e  m  lud 


Star  of  India — Star  Sapphire 


Engraved  Emerald — East  Indian 
Carving — Itth  Ceuiury 


GEMS  FROM  THE  MORGAN-TIFFANY  COLLECTION. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES       107 

The  remarkable  asteria,  known  as  the  '  '  Star  of  India,  '  ' 
in  tlie  Morgan-Tiffany  Collection  in  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  has  a  more  or  less  indefinite 
historic  record  of  some  three  centuries,  but  after  its  many 
wanderings  it  has  now  found  a  worthy  resting-place  in 
the  great  Museum.  Its  weight  is  543  carats.119 

The  asteria,  or  star  sapphire,  might  be  called  a  "  Stone 
of  Destiny,"  as  the  three  cross-bars  which  traverse  it 
are  believed  to  represent  Faith,  Hope,  and  Destiny.  As 
the  stone  is  moved,  or  the  light  changes,  a  living  star  ap- 
pears. As  a  guiding  gem,  warding  off  ill  omen  and  the 
Evil  Eye,  the  star-sapphire  is  worn  for  the  same  reasons 
as  were  the  oculus  mundi  and  the  oculus  Beli.  One  of 
the  most  unique  of  talismanic  stones,  it  is  said  to  be  so 
potent  that  it  continues  to  exercise  its  good  influence 
over  the  first  wearer  even  when  it  has  passed  into  other 
hands. 


The  sard  was  regarded  as  a  protection  against  incan- 
tations and  sorcery,  and  was  believed  to  sharpen  the  wits 
of  the  wearer,  rendering  him  fearless,  victorious,  and 
happy.120  The  red  hue  of  this  stone  was  supposed  to 
neutralize  the  malign  influence  of  the  dark  oynx,  driving 
away  the  bad  dreams  caused  by  the  latter  and  dispelling 
the  melancholy  thoughts  it  inspired. 

***  The  subject  of  the  origin,  development  and  reform  of  the  carat- 
weight  has  been  fully  treated  by  the  author  in  the  Trans,  of  the  Sac.  of 
Min.  Engineers,  1913,  pp.  1225-1245,  "  The  New  International  Metric 
Diamond  Carat  of  200  milligrams." 

130  Marbodei,  "  De  lapidibus,"  Friburgi,  1531,  f  ol.  50,  note  of  Pietor 
Villengensis. 


108     THE  DUBIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


The  Italian  peasants  of  to-day  believe  tliat  pebbles 
of  green  serpentine  afford  protection  from  the  bites  of 
venomous  creatures.  These  stones  are  usually  green  with 
streaks  or  veins  of  white,  and  the  name  was  derived  from 
their  fancied  resemblance  to  a  serpent's  skin.  In  addi- 
tion to  their  prophylactic  powers,  if  any  one  has  been 
bitten  by  such  a  creature,  the  stone,  when  applied  to  the 
wound,  is  supposed  to  draw  out  the  poison.  Here,  as 
in  the  case  of  coral,  the  hand  of  man  must  not  have  shaped 
the  amulet;  it  should  be  in  its  natural  state.  As  a  gen- 
eral rule,  however,  the  belief  that  the  touch  of  any  iron 
instrument,  such  as  the  tool  of  the  gem-cutter,  destroys 
the  magic  efficacy  of  the  substance,  is  less  firmly  held  in 
regard  to  stones  than  in  reference  to  coral.121 


See  Chrysolite. 

Citrquoige 

While  there  was  a  tendency  to  attribute  the  virtues 
originally  ascribed  to  one  particular  stone  to  others  of 
the  same  or  similar  color  and  appearance,  certain  stones 
were  regarded  as  possessing  special  virtues  not  com- 
monly attributed  to  others.  A  notable  instance  of  this  is 
the  quality  supposed  to  inhere  in  the  turquoise.  This 
stone  was  known  in  Egypt  from  a  very  early  period  and 
is  later  described  by  Pliny  under  the  name  of  callais. 
For  Pliny,  and  for  all  those  who  derived  their  informa- 
tion from  him  or  from  the  sources  he  used,  the  turquoise 
only  participated  in  the  virtues  assigned  to  all  blue  or 


"H  fetieismo  primitive)  in  Italia/'  Perugia,  1907,  pp. 
25,  26. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES       109 

greenish-blue  stones;  but  from  the  thirteenth  century, 
when  the  name  turquoise  was  first  employed,  we  read  that 
the  stone  possessed  the  power  to  protect  the  wearer  from 
injury  by  falling,  more  especially  from  horseback;  later, 
this  was  extended  to  cover  falls  from  a  building  or  over 
a  precipice.  A  fourteenth  century  authority,  the  "Lapi- 
daire"of  Sir  John  Mandeville,  states  that  the  turquoise 
protected  horses  from  the  ill-effects  resulting  from  drink- 
ing cold  water  when  overheated  by  exertion,  and  it  is  said 
that  the  Turks  often  attached  these  stones  to  the  bridles 
and  frontlets  of  their  horses  as  amulets.  They  are 
also  so  used  in  Samarcand  and  Persia.  We  might  there- 
fore be  justified  in  supposing  that  the  turquoise  was 
originally  used  in  the  East  as  a  " horse-amulet,"  and  the 
belief  in  its  power  to  protect  from  falls  may  have  arisen 
from  the  idea  that  it  rendered  the  horse  more  sure-footed 
and  enduring.  As  the  horse  was  often  regarded  as  a 
symbol  of  the  sun  in  its  rapid  course  through  the  blue 
heavens,  the  celestial  hue  of  the  turquoise  may  have 
caused  it  to  be  associated  in  some  way  with  the  horse. 
We  can  only  hazard  this  as  a  plausible  conjecture. 

Probably  the  earliest  notice  of  the  peculiar  super- 
stition in  regard  to  the  turquoise — namely,  that  it  pre- 
serves the  wearer  from  injury  in  case  of  falling— is  con- 
tained in  Volmar's   thirteenth   century   "Steinbuch," 
where  we  read: 

Whoever  owns  the  true  turquoise  set  in  gold  will  not  injure  any 
of  his  limbs  when  he  falls,  whether  he  be  riding  or  walking,  so  long  as 
he  has  the  stone  with  him.123 

Anselnms  de  Boot,  court  physician  of  Emperor 
Rudolph  II,  tells  a  story  of  a  turquoise  that,  after  being 
thirty  years  in  the  possession  of  a  Spaniard,  was  offered 

^Volmar,  "  Steinbuch,"  ed.  by  Hans  Lambel,  Eeilbronn,  1877, 
p.  19. 


110     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

for  sale  with  the  rest  of  the  owner's  property.  Every 
one  was  amazed  to  find  it  had  entirely  lost  its  color; 
nevertheless  De  Boot's  father  bought  it  for  a  trifling 
sum.  On  his  return  home,  however,  ashamed  to  wear  so 
mean-looking  a  gem,  he  gave  it  to  his  son,  saying,  "Son, 
as  the  virtues  of  the  turquoise  are  said  to  exist  only  when 
the  stone  has  been  given,  I  will  try  its  efficacy  by  bestow- 
ing it  upon  thee."  Little  appreciating  the  gift,  the  recip- 
ient had  his  arms  engraved  on  it  as  though  it  had  been 
only  a  common  agate  and  wore  it  as  a  signet.  He  had 
scarcely  worn  it  a  month,  however,  before  it  resumed  its 
pristine  beauty  and  daily  seemed  to  increase  in  splendor. 
Could  we  accept  this  statement  as  true  we  would  have 
here  an  altogether  unique  instance  of  the  recovery  by  a 
turquoise  of  the  blue  color  it  had  lost. 

Not  long  after,  the  powers  of  De  Boot's  turquoise 
were  put  to  the  test  As  he  was  returning  to  Bohemia 
from  Padua,  where  he  had  just  taken  his  degree,  he  was 
forced  to  traverse  a  narrow  and  dangerous  road  at  night. 
Suddenly  his  horse  stumbled  and  threw  him  heavily  to 
the  ground,  but,  strange  to  say,  neither  horse  nor  rider 
was  injured  by  the  fall.  Next  morning,  while  washing  his 
hands,  De  Boot  remarked  that  about  a  quarter  of  his  tur- 
quoise had  broken  away.  Nevertheless  the  stone  did  not 
lose  Its  virtue.  Some  time  afterward,  when  the  wearer 
was  lifting  a  very  heavy  pole,  he  felt  all  at  once  a  sharp 
pain  in  his  side  and  heard  his  ribs  crack,  so  that  he 
feared  he  had  injured  himself  seriously.  However,  it 
turned  out  that  he  had  not  broken  any  bones  but  had 
simply  strained  himself;  but,  on  looking  at  his  turquoise, 
he  saw  that  it  had  again  broken  into  two  pieces.123 

123  De  Boot,  "Gemmarum  et  lapidum  Mstoria,"  Lug1.  Bat,  1636, 
pp.  266-268. 


TALISMANIC  USB  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES        111 

A  singular  virtue  ascribed  to  the  turquoise  was  that 
of  striking  the  hour  correctly,  if  the  stone  were  sus- 
pended from  a  thread  held  between  the  thumb  and  index- 
finger  in  such  a  way  that  a  slight  vibration  would  make 
the  stone  strike  against  the  side  of  a  glass.  De  Boot 
states  that  he  made  the  experiment  successfully,  but  he 
very  sensibly  explains  the  apparent  wonder  by  the  uncon- 
scious effect  of  the  mind  on  the  body.  The  expectation 
that  the  stone  was  going  to  strike  a  certain  number  of 
times  induced  an  involuntary  movement  of  the  hand.124 

The  turquoise  seems  to  have  been  worn  almost  ex- 
clusively by  men  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  for  De  Boot,  writing  in  1609,  said  that  it  was  so 
highly  regarded  by  men  that  no  man  considered  his  hand 
to  be  well  adorned  unless  he  wore  a  fine  turquoise. 
Women,  however,  rarely  wore  this  gem.125  This  custom 
was  much  in  vogue  among  the  Englishmen  who  travelled 
in  the  Orient,  until  a  score  of  years  ago. 

The  Persians  fully  appreciate  the  beauty  and  power 
of  this,  their  national  stone,  and  they  have  a  saying  that 
to  escape  evil  and  attain  good  fortune  one  must  see  the 
reflection  of  the  new  moon  either  on  the  face  of  a  friend, 
on  a  copy  of  the  Koran,  or  on  a  turquoise,126  thus  ranking 
this  stone  with  two  most  precious  things,  a  friend  and  the 
source  and  warrant  of  religion.  Possibly  we  should  take 
this  proverbial  saying  to  indicate  that  whoever  has  a  true 
friend,  a  copy  of  the  sacred  volume  or  a  turquoise  will 
be  preserved  from  harm. 

The  turquoise  of  the  Los  Cerillos  -mines  in  New 
Mexico  is  rudely  extracted  by  building  large  fires  at  the 

"'De  Boot,  "Gemmarum  et  lapidum  Mstoria,"  Lug.  Bat.,  1636, 
pp.  169,  170. 

*"  De  Boot,  1.  c.,  p.  270. 

"•Hesndley,  "Indian  Jewelry,"  London,  1909,  p.  158. 


112    THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

base  of  the  rock  until  it  becomes  heated,  when  cold  water 
is  dashed  over  it,  the  sharp  change  of  temperature  split- 
ting up  the  rock.  Some  of  the  fragmentary  material 
thus  secured  is  worked  up  in  the  region  into  heart-shaped 
ornaments,  or  amulets,  locally  called  malacates.  The 
religious  veneration  with  which  many  of  the  New  Mexico 
Indians  still  regard  the  turquoise  was  noted  by  Major 
Hyde,  when  he  explored  the  region  in  1880,  for  some 
Pueblo  Indians  from  Santo  Domingo,  New  Mexico,  ex- 
pressed strong  disapproval  of  his  action  in  extracting 
turquoise  from  the  old  mine,  as  they  looked  upon  this  as 
a  sacred  stone  which  should  not  pass  into  the  possession 
of  those  whose  Saviour  was  not  a  Montezuma.127 

The  ruins  called  Los  Muertos,  situated  nine  miles 
from  Tempe,  Arizona,  have  furnished  a  peculiarly  in- 
teresting amulet  or  fetish  of  Zuni  workmanship.  This 
is  a  seashell  which  has  been  coated  with  black  pitch,  in 
which  are  encrusted  turquoises  and  garnets  so  disposed 
in  mosaic  as  to  represent  clearly  enough  the  figure  of  a 
toad,  the  sacred  emblem  of  the  Zunis.128 

The  sacred  character  with  which  this  stone  was  in- 
vested is  shown  by  the  wealth  of  turquoise  ornaments 
found  in  some  of  the  burials,  notably  in  those  of  Pueblo 
Bonito,  unearthed  by  Mr.  Gfeorge  IL  Pepper  in  1896.129 
This  is  one  of  the  Chaco  Canon  groups  of  ruins,  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  New  Mexico.  In  one  case  nearly 
nine  thousand  beads  and  pendants  of  turquoise  were 
found  on  or  about  a  single  skeleton.  There  was  abun- 


"Gems  and  Precious  Stones  of  North  America,"  New 
York,  1890,  pp.  61,  62,  pi.  opposite  p.  56. 

128  Kunz,  1.  c.,  see  pi.  2,  fig.  A. 

128  Pepper,  "  The  Exploration  of  a  Burial-room  in  Pueblo  Bonito, 
New  Mexico,"  Putnam  Anniversary  Volume,  New  York,  1909,  pp. 
196-252. 


TURQUOISE  NECKLACE,  THIBET. 
Field  Museum,  Chicago. 


TALISMANIC  USE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        113 

dant  evidence  in  the  special  care  bestowed  upon  the 
burial  that  the  deceased  must  have  been  a  man  of  high 
rank,  and  the  condition  of  the  skull  plainly  indicated 
that  he  had  met  a  violent  death.  The  1980  beads  found 
on  the  breast  of  the  skeleton  are  believed  to  have  been 
strung-  as  a  necklace,  and  the  position  of  other  masses 
of  these  beads  renders  it  probable  that  they  had  been 
used  for  bracelets  or  anklets,  the  strings  having  de- 
cayed and  disappeared  in  the  course  of  time.  The  most 
interesting  of  the  turquoise  objects  are,  however,  the 
pendants  worked  into  various  forms  designed  to  favor  the 
entrance  of  some  guardian  spirit  into  the  stone.  In  this 
single  burial  were  found  pendants  shaped  more  or  less 
roughly  into  the  forms  of  a  rabbit,  a  bird,  an  insect  (?), 
a  human  foot  and  a  shoe.  Around  another  burial 
in  the  same  chamber  were  strewn  nearly  sis  thousand 
turquoise  beads  and  pendants.130  In  all  24,932  beads 
were  found  in  these  burials. 

Another  very  interesting  object  from  Pueblo  Bonito, 
and  one  having  probably  a  special  ceremonial  use  and 
value,  is  a  turquoise  basket,— that  is  to  say,  a  cylindrical 
basket  three  inches  in  diameter  and  six  inches  long,  orig- 
inally made  of  slender  splints  with  a  coating  of  gum  in 
which  1214  small  pieces  of  turquoise  have  been  set.  These 
are  very  closely  set  and  form  a  complete  mosaic  covering 
for  the  object.  The  legends  of  the  Navahos  contain  allu- 
sions to  "turquoise  jewel  baskets,"  and  Mr.  Pepper 
raises  the  question  whether  or  no  this  can  refer  to  those 
made  by  the  Pueblo  Indians.131 

The  Apache  name  for  the  turquoise  is  duklij,  which. 

MOPepper,  "  The  Exploration  of  a  Burial-room  in  Pueblo  Bonito,  New 
Mexico,"  pp.  223,  224. 
331  Pepper,  L  e.,  p.  227. 
8 


114     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

signifies  either  a  green  or  a  bine  stone,  no  distinction 
being  made  between  the  two  colors.  This  stone  is  highly 
prized  for  its  talismanic  virtues.  Indeed  the  possession 
of  a  tnrqnoise  was  indispensable  for  a  medicine-man,  as 
withont  it  he  would  not  receive  proper  recognition.  That 
some  of  the  powers  of  the  thunder-stone  were  ascribed 
to  the  turquoise  by  the  tribes  appears  from  the  fancy 
that  a  man  who  conld  go  to  the  end  of  a  rainbow  after 
a  storm  and  search  in  the  damp  earth  would  find  a  tur- 
quoise. One  of  its  supposed  powers  was  to  aid  the 
warrior  or  hunter  by  assuring  the  accuracy  of  his  aim, 
for  if  a  turquoise  were  affixed  to  a  gun  or  bow  the  shot 
sped  from  the  weapon  would  go  straight  to  the  mark.132 
A  lady  prominent  in  the  London  world  is  said  to  pos- 
sess the  power  of  restoring  to  their  pristine  hue  tur- 
quoises that  have  grown  pale.  According  to  report,  this 
lady  is  often  called  upon  to  use  her  peculiar  gift  by 
friends  whose  turquoises  have  faded.133  While  the  im- 
provement supposed  to  be  noted  may  be  more  imaginary 
than  real  in  many  cases,  there  is  little  doubt  that  this 
stone  is  exceptionally  sensitive  to  the  action  of  certain 
emanations,  and  may,  at  times,  be  influenced  by  the 
wearer's  general  state  of  health.  The  writer  believes 
that  a  turquoise,  like  an  egg,  can  never  be  restored  to  its 
original  state. 

133  Burke,  "  The  Medicine-men  of  the  Apache,"  Ninth  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  1887-1888,  Washington,  1892,  p.  589. 

^Fernie,  "Precious  Stones  for  Curative  Use,"  Bristol,  1907, 
p.  269. 


IV 


ityt  ®se  of  oEtigtafcefc  anfc  Cat&eti 
Calfgmans 


virtue  believed  to  be  inherent  in  precious  stones 
was  thought  to  gain  an  added  potency  when  the 
stone  was  engraved  with  some  symbol  or  figure  possess- 
ing a  special  sacredness,  or  denoting  and  typifying  a 
special  quality.  This  presupposes  a  considerable  devel- 
opment of  civilization,  since  the  art  of  engraving  on 
precious  stones  offers  many  mechanical  difficulties  and 
thus  requires  a  high  degree  of  artistic  and  mechanical 
skill.  It  is  true  that  the  earliest  engraved  stones,  the 
Babylonian  cylinders  and  the  Egyptian  scarabs,  were 
both  designed  to  serve  an  eminently  practical  purpose  as 
well,  namely,  that  of  seals  ;  but  in  a  great  number  of  in- 
stances these  primitive  seals  were  looked  upon  as  en- 
dowed with  talismanic  power,  and  were  worn  on  the 
person  as  talismans. 

The  scarab,  so  highly  favored  by  the  Egyptians  as  an 
ornamental  form,  is  a  representation  of  the  scarab&us 
sacer,  the  typical  genus  of  the  family  Scarabaida.  They 
are  usually  black,  but  occasionally  show  a  fine  play  of 
metallic  colors.  After  gathering  up  a  clump  of  dung  for 
the  reception  of  the  eggs,  the  insect  rolls  this  along,  using 
the  hind  legs  to  propel  it,  until  the  material,  at  first  soft 
and  of  irregular  form,  becomes  hardened  and  almost  per- 
fectly round.  A  curious  symbolism  induced  the  Egyp- 
tians to  find  in  this  beetle  an  emblem  of  the  world  of 
fatherhood  and  of  man.  The  round  ball  wherein  the  eggs 
were  deposited  typified  the  world,  and,  as  the  Egyptians 

115 


116     THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

thought  that  the  scarabsei  were  all  males,  they  especially 
signified  the  male  principle  in  generation,  becoming 
types  of  fatherhood  and  man.  At  the  same  time,  as  only 
full-grown  beetles  were  observed,  it  was  believed  these 
creatures  represented  a  regeneration  or  reincarnation, 
since  it  was  not  realized  that  the  eggs  or  larval  and 
pupa  stages  had  anything  to  do  with  the  generation  of 
the  beetle.  Thus  the  scarab  was  used  as  a  symbol  of 
immortality. 

While,  however,  this  was  the  popular  view,  it  seems 
unlikely  that  such  close  observers  as  were  the  more  cul- 
tured Egyptians  should  have  been  entirely  unfamiliar 
with  the  real  genesis  of  the  Scarabceus  sacer;  but,  in  this 
case  also,  there  would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  finding  it 
emblematic  of  immortality  in  the  various  stages  through 
which  it  passed.  The  larval  stage  might  well  signify  the 
mortal  life  ;  the  pupa  stage,  the  intermediate  period  rep- 
resented by  the  mummy,  with  which  the  soul  was  con- 
ceived to  be  vaguely  connected,  in  spite  of  its  wanderings 
through  the  nether-world  ;  and,  lastly,  the  fully  developed 
beetle  could  be  regarded  as  a  type  of  the  rebirth  into 
everlasting  life,  when  the  purified  and  perfected  soul 
again  animated  the  original  and  transfigured  form  in  a 
mysterious  resurrection. 

Scarabs  are  frequently  engraved  with  the  hieroglyph 

"life")  and  *&?  (ha,  "increase  of  power"). 


The  emblem  of  stability    jj    (tef)  is  also  employed,  as 

well  as  many  others.  In  addition  to  these  simple  sym- 
bols, many  scarabs  bear  legends  supposed  to  render  them 
exceptionally  luck-bringing.  The  following  are  charac- 
teristic specimens.1 

1From  "The  Sacred  Beetle/'  by  John  Ward,  London,  1902,  Plate 
VIII,  Nos.  46,  58,  89,  275,  276,  446. 


ENGEAVED  AND  CABVED  GEMS       117 

maat- ankh  neb,"  Lord  of  Truth  and  Life. ' ' 
0    0    o  "abounding  in  graces"  (very  deeply  cut 
as  a  seal). 

"May  thy  name  be  established;  mayst  thou  have  a 
son." 

g  f  (within  ornamental  border),  "good  stability," 
J  ^ikht  neb  nefer,  "All  good  things." 

(Inlaid).    "A  good  day"  (a  holiday). 

"A  mother  is  a  truly  good  thing"  or  "Truth  is  a  good 
Mother." 

The  scarab,  for  the  Egyptians  a  type  of  the  rising 
sun  and  hence  of  the  renewal  of  life  after  death,  was 
copied  by  the  Phoenicians  from  the  Egyptian  types  and 
modified  in  various  ways  to  suit  the  religious  fancies  of 
the  various  lands  to  which  they  bore  the  products  of  their 
art.  Much  of  the  original  significance  of  this  symbol 
must  have  been  lost ;  probably  in  many  cases  little  was 
left  but  a  vague  idea  that  an  amulet  of  this  form  would 
bring  good  luck  to  the  wearer  and  guard  from  harm. 

Funeral  scarabs  were  often  made  of  jasper,  amethyst, 
lapis-lazuli,  ruby,  or  carnelian,  with  the  names  of  gods, 
kings,  priests,  officials,  or  private  persons  engraved  on 
the  base ;  occasionally  monograms  or  floral  devices  were 
engraved.  Sometimes  the  base  of  the  scarab  was  heart- 
shaped  and  at  others  the  scarab  was  combined  with  the 
"utat,"  or  eye  of  Horus,  and  also  with  the  frog,  typify- 
ing revivification.  Set  in  rings  they  were  placed  on  the 
fingers  of  the  dead,  or  else,  wrapped  in  linen  bandages, 
they  rested  on  the  heart  of  the  deceased,  a  type  of  the 
sun  which  rose  each  day  to  renewed  life.  They  were 
symbols  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body.2 

a Budge,  "The  Mummy,"  Cambridge,  1894,  pp.  234-235. 


118     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Some  of  the  Egyptian  scarabs  were  evidently  used  as 
talismanic  gifts  from  one  friend  to  another.  Two  such 
scarabs  are  in  the  collection  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum 
of  Art  in  New  York.  One  bears  the  inscription  "May  Ea 
grant  you  a  happy  New  Year,"  the  text  of  the  other 
reading  as  follows:  "May  your  name  be  established, 
may  you  have  a  son,"  and  "May  your  house  flourish 
every  day."  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  modern  greeting 
"Happy  New  Year"  was  current  in  Egypt  probably 
three  thousand  years  ago.3 

On  the  Egyptian  inscribed  scarabs  used  as  signets 
were  engraved  many  of  the  symbols  to  which  a  talismanic 
virtue  was  attributed.     The  urseus  serpent,  signifying 
death,  is  sometimes  associated  with  the  knot,  the  so-called 
anJch  symbol,  denoting  life.     Often  the  hieroglyph  for 
nub,  gold,  appears ;  this  symbol  is  a  necklace  with  pend- 
ant beads,  showing  that  gold  beads  must  have  been  known 
in  Egypt  in  the  early  days  when  the  hieroglyph  for  gold 
was  first  used.    All  these  symbolic  figures,  of  which  a 
great  number  occur,  served  to  impart  to  the  signet  a 
sacred  and  auspicious  quality  which  communicated  itself 
to  the  wearer,  and  even  to  the  impression  made  by  the 
seal,  this  in  its  turn  acquiring  a  certain  magic  force. 
Few  of  us  would  be  willing  to  confess  to  a  belief  in  the 
innate  power  of  any  symbol,  but  the  suggestive  power  of 
a  symbol  is  as  real  to-day  as  it  ever  was.    Any  object 
that  evokes  a  high  thought  or  serves  to  emphasize  a  pro- 
found conviction  really  possesses   a  kind  of  magical 
quality,  since  it  is  capable  of  causing  an  effect  out  of  all 
proportion  to  its  intrinsic  worth  or  its  material  quality. 
Many  scarabs  and  signets  exist  made  of  the  artificial 

3 The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art;  the  Mureh  Collection  of 
Egyptian  antiquities;  supplement  ta  the  Bulletin  of  the  Met.  Mus.  of 
Art,  January,  1910. 


ENGRAVED  AND  CAEVED  GEMS      119 

cymus,  which  was  an  imitation  lapis-lazuli  made  in 
Egypt  This  was  an  alkaline  silicate,  colored  a  deep  blue 
with  carbonate  of  copper.  Often  a  wonderful  trans- 
lucent or  opaque  blue  glass  was  used.  The  genuine  lapis- 
lazuli  was  also  used  to  a  considerable  extent  for  scarabs 
and  cylinders,  in  Egypt  and  Assyria,  and  gems  were  also 
cut  from  it  in  imperial  Eoman  times.4  A  notable  instance 
of  the  use  of  lapis-lazuli  in  ancient  Egypt  was  as  the 
material  for  the  image  of  Truth  (Ma),  which  the 
Egyptian  chief -justice  wore  on  his  neck,  suspended  from 
a  golden  chain.5 

In  Roman  times  some  of  the  legionaries  are  said  to 
have  worn  rings  set  with  scarabs,  for  the  reason  that 
this  figure  was  believed  to  impart  great  courage  and 
vigor  to  the  wearer.6 

The  Egyptian  amulets  of  the  earliest  period,  up  to  the 
XIX  dynasty  (circa  2000  B.C.),  differ  considerably  from 
those  made  and  worn  after  the  beginning  of  the  XVIII 
dynasty  (1580  B.C.).  Those  of  the  earlier  period  are  not 
numerous  and  present  but  a  small  number  of  types,  ani- 
mal forms  or  the  heads  of  animals  constituting  the  most 
favored  models.  The  precious  stone  materials  are  prin- 
cipally carnelian,  beryl,  and  amethyst.  After  the  close  of 
the  so-called  Hyksos  period,  the  age  during  which  foreign 
kings  ruled  over  Egypt,  came  the  brilliant  revival  and 
development  of  Egyptian  civilization  that  characterized 
the  XVIII  dynasty.  Some  of  the  old  forms  were  entirely 
cast  aside  while  others  were  greatly  modified  in  form  and 
significance,  the  animal  forms  losing  much  of  their  f etich- 

4 Middleton,  "Engraved  Gems  of  Ancient  Times/7  Cambridge, 
1891,  p.  151. 

6Diodori  Siculi,  "  Bibliotheca  historieales,"  ed.  Dindorf,  Parisiis, 
1842,  vol.  i,  p.  65;  lib.  i,  cap.  75. 

*  JEliani,  "  De  animalibus/'  lib.  x;  cap.  15. 


120     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

Istic  quality  and  coming  to  be  more  and  more  regarded 
as  images  of  the  multifarious  divinities  worshipped  in 
this  later  period.  In  many  cases  the  animal  type  was 
entirely  or  partially  discarded  and  the  amulets  figured 
the  conventional  types  given  to  the  various  divinities. 
However,  while  some  of  these  images  were  wholly  human, 
many  of  them  show  a  human  body  with  an  animal  head. 
Various  symbolic  designs  were  also  favored,  one  believed 
to  signify  the  blood  of  Isis  having  the  form  of  a  knot  or 
tie.  A  frog  fashioned  out  of  lapis-lazuli  and  having  eyes 
of  gold  is  one  of  these  amulets  of  the  XVIII  dynasty  or 
later. 

An  interesting  Egyptian  talisman  in  the  Louvre  is 
engraved  with  a  design  representing  Thothmes  II  seizing 
a  lion  by  the  tail  and  raising  the  animal  aloft ;  at  the  same 
time  he  brandishes  in  the  other  hand  a  club,  with  which 
he  is  about  to  dash  out  the  lion's  brains.  The  Egyptian 
word  quen,  "strength,"  is  engraved  beneath  the  design 
and  indicates  that  the  virtue  of  the  talisman  was  to  in- 
crease the  strength  and  courage  of  the  wearer,  the  in- 
scription being  a  kind  of  perpetual  invocation  to  the 
higher  powers  whose  aid  was  sought.7 

The  children  of  Israel,  when  in  the  desert,  were  said 
to  have  engraved  figures  on  carnelian,  "  just  as  seals  are 
engraved."8  This  statement,  repeated  by  many  early 
writers,  may  perhaps  have  arisen  from  an  identification 
of  carnelian  with  the  first  stone  of  the  breastplate,  the 
odem,  unquestionably  a  red  stone,  and  very  possibly  car- 
nelian. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  one  of  the 

T  Hoernes,  "  Uigeschiehte  der  bildenden  Kunst,"  Wien,  1898,  pp. 
155,  156. 

sKonrad  v.  Megenberg,  "Buch  der  Natur,"  ed.  Pfeiffer,  Stutt- 
gart, 1861,  p.  MS;  see  also  Johannis  de  Cuba,  "Hortus  Sanitatis" 
[Strassburg,  1483],  tractatus  de  lapidibus,  cap.  xliii. 


ENGBAVED  AND  CAEYED  GEMS       121 

first  stones  used  for  ornamental  purposes  and  for  en- 
graving, as  a  number  of  specimens  have  been  preserved 
from  early  Egyptian  times.  Because  of  the  cooling  and 
calming  effect  exercised  by  carnelian  upon  the  bloody  if 
worn  on  the  neck  or  on  the  finger,  it  was  believed  to  still 
all  angry  passions.9 

A  class  of  amulets  even  older  than  the  Egyptian 
scarabs  is  represented  by  the  engraved  Assyrio-Babylo- 
nian  cylinders.  There  has  been  much  discussion  among 
scholars  as  to  the  original  purpose  for  which  these  cylin- 
ders were  made,  some  holding  that  they  were  exclusively 
employed  as  seals  or  signets,  while  others  incline  to  the 
belief  that  many  of  them  were  intended  only  for  use  as 
amulets  or  talismans. 

These  cylinders  are  perforated  and  were  worn  sus- 
pended from  the  neck  or  wrist,  as  is  most  frequently  the 
case  with  talismans,  and  the  engraved  designs  often  rep- 
resent religious  or  mythological  subjects,  the  accompa- 
nying inscription  merely  consisting  of  the  names  of  the 
gods.  Cylinders  of  this  type  could  not  have  been  used  as 
personal  signets,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  Dr.  Wiede- 
mann  is  right  in  supposing  that  their  imprint  on  a  docu- 
ment was  considered  to  impart  a  certain  mystic  sanction 
to  the  agreement,  and  render  the  divinities  or  spirits 
accountable  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  contract.10 

The  oldest  known  form  of  seal  is  the  cylinder.  Baby- 
lonian and  Assyrian  cylinder-seals  are  known  of  a  date 
as  early  as  4000  B.C.  From  the  earliest  period  until  2500 
B.C.  they  were  made  of  black  or  green  serpentine,  con- 
glomerate, diorite,  and  frequently  of  the  central  core  of 

*  Marbodei,  "  De  lapiditras,"  Friburgi,  1531,  f  ol.  19. 

"Fischer  and  Wiedemann,  "Ueber  Babylonisdie  'Talismane'  aus 
dem  hist  Mus.  im  steieriseh-landscliaftl.  Joanneum  211  Graz,"  Stutt- 
gart, 1881,  p.  9. 


122     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

a  large  conch  shell  from  the  Persian  Gulf.  From  2500 
B.C.  to  500  B.C  the  cylindrical  form  was  prevalent,  and  the 
materials  include  a  brick-red  ferruginous  quartz,  red 
hematite  (an  iron  ore),  and  chalcedony,  a  beautiful 
variety  of  the  last-named  stone  known  as  sapphirine  be- 
ing sometimes  used.  On  the  cylinders  produced  from  4000 
B.C.  to  2500  B.C.  the  designs  most  frequently  represent 
animal  forms ;  on  those  dating  from  2500  B.C.  to  500  B.C. 
are  generally  inscribed  five  or  six  rows  of  cuneiform 
characters.  Up  to  the  last-named  date  the  work  was  all 
done  by  the  sapphire  point,  and  not  by  the  wheel,  and  it 
is  not  until  the  fifth  century  B.C.  that  wheel  work  is 
apparent  in  any  Babylonian  or  Assyrian  stone-engraving. 
In  the  course  of  the  sixth  century  B.C.  the  cylindrical  seals 
became  less  frequent,  and  the  tall  cone-like  seals  came 
into  use.11 

A  new  type  makes  its  appearance  about  the  fifth  or 
sixth  century  B.C.,  namely,  the  scaraboid  seal  introduced 
from  Egypt.  From  the  third  century  B.C.  until  the  second 
or  third  century  A.D.,  the  seals  became  lower  and  flatter, 
and  the  perforation  larger,  until  they  sometimes  assumed 
the  form  of  rings ;  later  the  ring  form  becomes  general. 
They  are  usually  hollowed  a  little  in  the  middle,  which 
gives  them  the  shape  and  size  of  the  lower  short  joints 
of  a  reed ;  indeed,  it  has  been  suggested  that  the  original 
seal  was  rudely  patterned  after  a  reed  joint.  The  mate- 
rials used  for  these  cylinders  include  lapis-lazuli,  very 
freely  used  and  probably  from  the  Persian  mines,  jasper, 
rock-crystals,  chalcedony,  carnelian,  agate,  jade,  etc.;  a 
hard,  black  variety  of  serpentine  is  perhaps  the  most 
common  of  all  the  materials  used  for  this  purpose.12 

31  See  Ward,  "The  Seal  Cylinders  of  Western  Asia/'  Carnegie 
Institution  Pub.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  1910,  pp.  1-5. 
12  Ward,  1.  c.,  p.  5  and  pp.  5-8. 


ENGRAVED  AND  CAKVED  GEMS       123 

A  good  example  of  these  talismanic  cylinders  shows 
the  figure  of  the  god  Nebo,  seated  on  a  throne  and  holding 
a  ring  in  his  left  hand.  Before  him  are  two  altars,  over 
which  appear,  respectively,  a  star  and  the  crescent  moon ; 
in  front  of  the  god  is  the  figure  of  a  man  in  an  attitude 
of  adoration.  Borsippa,  where  the  cylinder  was  found, 
was  the  special  seat  of  the  worship  of  Nebo,  whose  name 
appears  in  those  of  the  kings  Nebuchadnezzar,  Nebo- 
palasser,  and  Nabonaid.  Eegarded  as  the  inventor  of 
writing  and  as  the  god  of  learning,  Nebo  was  the  lord  of 
the  planet  Mercury,  and  this  shows  a  close  connection 
between  Babylonian  and  Grseco-Eoman  ideas  in  refer- 
ence to  the  god  associated  with  that  planet.  Nebo  was 
also  believed  to  be  the  orderer  of  times  and  seasons,  and 
this  character  is  indicated  by  the  star  and  the  crescent.13 

The  Cretan  peasants  of  to-day  set  a  high  value  upon 
certain  very  ancient  seals — dating  perhaps  from  as  early 
as  2500  B.C. — which  they  find  buried  in  the  soil.  These 
seals  are  inscribed  with  symbols  supposed  to  represent 
the  prehistoric  Cretan  form  of  writing.  Of  course  these 
inscriptions,  which  have  not  yet  been  deciphered  by  arch- 
aeologists, are  utterly  incomprehensible  for  the  peasants, 
but  they  undoubtedly  serve  to  render  the  stones  objects 
of  mystery.  The  peasants  call  them  galopetra,  or  "milk- 
stones,"  and  they  are  supposed  to  promote  the  secretion 
of  milk,-  as  was  the  case  with  the  galactite.14  The  careful 
preservation  of  these  so-called  galopetrce  by  Cretan 
women  has  served  the  purpose  of  archaeological  research, 
as  otherwise  so  large  a  supply  of  these  very  interesting 
seals  would  not  now  be  available. 

33  Fischer  and  Wiedemann,  "Ueber  Babylonische  Talismane/' 
Stuttgart,  1881,  p.  11.  See  PL  I,  %.  3. 

14 A.  Evans,  in  "Journal  of  Hellenic  Studies,"  vol.  siv  (1893), 
p.  270. 


124     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Many  engraved  stones  of  the  Eoman  imperial  period 
bore  the  figures  of  Serapis  and  of  Isis,  the  former  sig- 
nifying Time  and  the  latter  Earth.  On  other  stones  the 
symbols  of  the  zodiacal  signs  appear,  referring  to  the 
natal  constellation  of  the  wearer.  The  astrologers,  who 
derived  their  lore  from  the  Orient,  were  consulted  by  all 
classes  of  the  Eoman  people,  and  it  is  therefore  very 


I.  ENGRAVED  HELIOTROPE. 

Head  of  Serapis  surrounded  by  the 
twelve  Zodiacal  symbols.  From  Gori'a 
"Thesaurus  Gemmarum  Antiquarum 
Astriferarum,"  Florence*  1750.  Vol.  i, 
PI.  XVII. 


cxcviu 


2.  ENGRAVED  RED  JASPER. 
Head  of  Medusa,  Museum  Cl.  Passerii. 


natural  that  the  signet,  or  the  ring  worn  as  an  amulet, 
should  frequently  have  been  engraved  with  astrological 
symbols.  These  designs  were  usually  engraved  on  onyxes, 
carnelians,  and  similar  stones,  in  Greek  and  Eoman 
times ;  but  occasionally  the  emerald  was  used  in  this  way, 
and  more  rarely  the  ruby  or  the  sapphire.  Here  the 
costliness  of  the  material  was  probably  thought  to  en- 


ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS       125 

hance  the  value  of  the  amulet.  The  emerald  ring  of 
Polycrates  must  have  possessed  some  other  than  a  purely 
artistic  value  in  his  eyes,  when  it  could  be  regarded  by 
him  as  the  most  precious  of  his  possessions. 

In  Eoman  times  the  image  of  Alexander  the  Great 
was  looked  upon  as  possessing  magic  virtues,  and  it  is 
related  that  when  Cornelius  Macer  gave  a  splendid  ban- 
quet in  the  temple  of  Hercules,  the  chief  ornament  of  the 
table  was  an  amber  cup,  in  the  midst  of  which  was  a  por- 
trait of  Alexander,  and  around  this  his  whole  history 
figured  in  small,  finely  engraved  representations.  From 
this  cup  Macer  drank  to  the  health  of  the  pontifex  and 
then  ordered  that  it  should  be  passed  around  among  the 
guests,  so  that  each  one  might  gaze  upon  the  image  of  the 
great  man.  Pollio,  relating  this,  states  that  it  was  a 
common  belief  that  everything  happened  fortunately  for 
those  who  bore  with  them  Alexander's  portrait  executed 
in  gold  or  silver.15  Indeed,  even  among  Christians  coins 
of  Alexander  were  in  great  favor  as  amulets,  and  the 
stern  John  Chrysostom  sharply  rebukes  those  who  wore 
bronze  coins  of  this  monarch  attached  to  their  heads  and 
their  feet.16 

Nowhere  in  the  world  was  the  use  of  amulets  so  com- 
mon as  in  Alexandria,  especially  in  the  first  centuries 
of  our  era,  and  the  types  produced  here  were  scattered 
far  and  wide  throughout  the  Eoman  world.  Amulets 
made  from  various  colored  stones  had  been  used  for 
religious  purposes  in  Egypt  from  the  very  earliest  period 
of  its  history,  so  that  the  custom  was  deeply  rooted  in 
that  land.  "When,  therefore,  Alexandria  was  founded  in 

15  Trebelii  Pollionis,  De  XXX  tyrannis,  Lipsiae,  p.  295. 

16  Ad  ilium,  catech.,  Horn.  II,  5. 


126     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

the  fourth  century  B.C.,  and  became  a  great  commercial 
centre,  attracting  men  of  all  races  and  all  religions,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  the  population  eagerly  adopted  the 
various  amulets  used  by  the  adherents  of  the  different 
religions.  The  result  was  a  combining  and  confusion 
of  many  different  types.  With  the  rapid  rise  and  growth 
of  the  Christian  religion,  a  new  element  was  introduced. 
Unquestionably  the  leading  Christian  teachers  were 
strongly  opposed  to  such  superstitious  practices,  but  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  faithful  clung  to  their  old  fancies. 

In  the  second  century  the  Gnostic  heresy  gave  a  new 
impulse  to  the  fabrication  of  amulets.  This  strange 
eclecticism,  resulting  from  an  interweaving  of  pagan  and 
Christian  ideas,  with  its  complicated  symbolism,  much  of 
which  is  almost  incomprehensible,  found  expression  in 
the  creation  of  the  most  bizarre  types  of  amulets,  and  the 
magic  virtues  of  the  curious  designs  was  enhanced  by 
inscriptions  purposely  obscure.  The  incomprehensible 
always  seems  to  have  a  mysterious  charm  for  those 
devoted  to  the  magic  arts,  and  the  adepts  willingly 
catered  to  this  taste,  so  that  we  can  often  only  guess  at 
the  signification  of  the  words  and  names  engraved  upon 
the  Gnostic  or  Basilidian  gems.  So  widespread  was  their 
use  throughout  the  Eoman  Empire,  that  there  were  fac- 
tories entirely  devoted  to  the  production  of  these 
objects.17 

Eegarding  the  sacred  name  Abrasax,  which  was  in- 
scribed on  so  many  Gnostic  gems,  we  read  in  St.  Augus- 
tine's treatise  De  h&res.,  vi,  "Basilides  asserted  that 
there  were  365  heavens;  it  was  for  this  reason  that  he 
regarded  the  name  Abrasax  as  sacred  and  venerable. " 

1TKrause,  «  Pyrgoteles,"  Halle,  1856,  pp.  197-8. 


ENGBAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS 


127 


1.  Gnostic  gem,  heliotrope,  with  Abraxas  god.    Gorlaeua. Collection.    From  the  "Abra- 
xas sell  Apistopistus  "  of  Macariua  (L'Heureux)  Antwerp,  1657,  PL  II. 

2.  Another  type;  with  seven  stars. 

3.  Gnostic  gem.    Type  of  Abraxas  god  and  mystic  letters  I  A  vv .    From  Gorrs  "The- 
saurus Gemmarum  Antiquarura  Astriferarum,"  Florence,  1750,  vol.  i,  PL  CLXXXIX. 

4.  Abraxas  gem,  jasper,  mystic  letters  I  A  W.     From  Gorlaeus,  "Cabinet  de  Pierres 
Gravies,"  Paris,  1778. 

5.  Jasper  engraved  with  the  symbol  of  the  Agathodaemon  Serpent.    The  type  of  amulet 
noted  by  Galen  as  that  used  by  the  Egyptian  king  "Nechepsus"  (Necho  610-594  B.C.). 
Original  at  one  time  in  the  collection  of  Johann  Schinkel.    From  the  "Abraxas  aeu  Apisto- 
pifltus"  of  Macariua  (L'Heureux)  Antwerp,  1657,  PI.  XVII,    Seepage  385. 


128     THE  CUBIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

According  to  the  Greek  notation  the  letters  comprising 
this  name  give  that  number: 

a=  1 
]5=  2 
p  =  100 
a==  1 
(7  =  200 
a=  1 

e=  GO 

365 

It  is,  however,  not  unlikely  that  the  365  days  in  the 
solar  year  are  signified;  and  this  enigmatical  name  might 
thus  be  brought  into  connection  with  Mithra,  the  solar 
divinity,  who  was  worshipped  throughout  the  Persian 
and  Eoman  empires  in  the  first  and  second  centuries  of 
our  era. 

A  very  recondite  but  ingenious  explanation  of  the 
Gnostic  name  Abrasax  is  given  by  Harduin  in  his  notes 
to  Pliny's  "Natural  History."18  He  sees  in  the  first 
three  letters  the  initials  of  the  three  Hebrew  words  sig- 
nifying father,  son,  and  spirit  (ab,  ben,,  ruah),  the  Triune 
God;  the  last  four  letters  are  the  initials  of  the 
Greek  words  dvOpdnou?  *<&&  tyy  56ty  or  "  he  saves  men  by 
the  sacred  wood  "  (the  cross).  This  seems  rather  far- 
fetched, it  must  be  confessed,  and  yet  to  any  one  familiar 
with  the  vagaries  of  Alexandrine  eclecticism,  and  with  the 
tendency  of  the  time  and  place  to  make  strange  and  un- 
couth combinations  of  Greek  and  Hebrew  forms,  there  is 
nothing  inherently  improbable  in  the  explanation.  In- 
deed, the  Hebrew  and  Greek  words  in  this  composite  sen- 

18  Caii  Plinii  Secundi,  Naturalis  Historia,  ed.  Harduin,  Parisiis, 
,  vol.  ii,  p.  489. 


PHOENICIAN  SCARAB,  WITH  ENGRAVED  SCORPION.     (See  page  115.) 


ANCIENT   BABYLONIAN   CYLINDER  IMPRESSION,   BEARING   FIGURES   OF 
THE  GOD  NEBO  AND  A  WORSHIPPER,  AND  SYMBOLS  OF 

SUN  AND  MOON. 
From  Fischer  and  Wiedemann  "  Ueber  Babylonische  Talismane,"  Stuttgart,  1881,  PI.  1,  fig.  3. 


A  SMALL  JADE   CELT   ENGRAVED   WITH  GNOSTIC  INSCRIPTIONS  IN  THE 
FOURTH  CENTURY. 

On  one  side  arc  seven  lines  of  characters,  principally  consisting  of  the  seven  Greek 
vowels  used  to  denote  the  Ineffable  Name.  On  the  reverse  is  cut  a  laurel  branch  with  18 
leaves,  enclosed  within  each  of  which  are  characters  expressing  the  name  of  one  of  the  per- 
sonifications of  Gnostic  theosophy.  Brought  from  Egypt  and  deposited  by  its  possessor, 


ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS       129 

tence  might  have  been  regarded  as  typifying  the  union 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  and  such  an  acrostic 
would  certainly  have  been  looked  upon  as  possessing  a 
mystic  and  supernatural  power. 

Many  explanations  have  been  offered  as  to  the  origin 
and  significance  of  the  characteristic  figure  of  the 
Abrasax  god  engraved  on  a  number  of  G-nostic  amulets. 
There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  this  figure  was  invented 
by  Basilides,  chief  of  the  Gnostic  sect  bearing  his  name, 
and  who  flourished  in  the  early  part  of  the  second  cen- 


ANTIQUE  JADE  CELT  CONVERTED  INTO  A  GNOSTIC  TALISMAN 
Enclosed  within  the  outlines  of  the  18  leaves  are  as  many  names  of  the  personifications  of 

Gnostic  Theosophy. 

tury  A.D.  While  the  details  of  the  type  as  perfected  were 
undoubtedly  borrowed  from  the  eclectic  symbolism  of  the 
Egyptian  and  western  Asiatic  world  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  conjecture  the  reasons  determining  the  selection 
of  this  particular  form. 

A  jasper  engraved  with  the  famous  Gnostic  symbol 
was  set  in  the  ring  worn  by  Seffrid,  Bishop  of  Chichester 
(A.D.  1159).  This  ring  was  found  on  the  skeleton  of  the 
bishop  and  is  now  preserved  in  the  treasury  of  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Chichester.  Undoubtedly  the  curious  symbolic 
figure  was  given  a  perfectly  orthodox  meaning,  and,  in- 
9 


130    THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

deed,  it  was  not  really  a  pagan  symbol,  as  the  Gnostics 
were  "indifferent  Christians,"  although  their  system  was 
a  fanciful  elaboration  of  the  doctrines  of  the  late  Alexan- 
drian school  of  Greek  Philosophy  and  an  adaptation  of 
this  to  the  teachings  of  Christian  tradition.  In  many 
cases,  however,  gems  with  purely  pagan  designs  were 
worn  by  Christians,  designs  such  as  Isis  with  the  child 
Horus,  which  was  taken  to  be  the  Virgin  Mary  with  the 
infant  Jesus. 

A  curious  amulet,  apparently  belonging  to  the  Gnostic 
variety,  and  intended  to  bring  success  to  the  owner  of  a 
racehorse,  is  now  in  the  collection  of  the  Metropolitan 
Museum  of  Art,  in  New  York.  The  material  is  green 
jasper  with  red  spots.  On  the  obverse  the  horse  is  figured 
with  the  victor's  palm  and  the  name  Tiberis;  on  the  re- 
verse appears  the  vulture-headed  figure  of  the  Abraxas 
god  and  the  characters,  "ZACTA  IAW  BAPIA/'  which  have 
been  translated,  "lao  the  Destroyer  and  Creator."19 
Possibly  this  amulet  may  have  been  attached  to  the  horse 
during  his  races  to  insure  victory,  as  we  know  that  amu- 
lets of  this  kind  were  used  in  this  way. 

As  illustrating  the  eclectic  character  of  some  of  the 
amulets  used  in  the  early  Christian  centuries,  we  may 
note  one  in  the  Cabinet  de  Medailles,  in  Paris.  This  has 
upon  the  obverse  the  head  of  Alexander  the  Great;  on 
the  reverse  is  a  she-ass  with  her  foal,  and  below  this  a 
scorpion  and  the  name  Jesus  Christ.  Another  amulet  of 
this  class,  figured  by  Vettori,20  also  has  the  head  of  Alex- 

"King,  Catalogue  of  Engraved  Gems,  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art,  p.  81,  No.  302,  1885. 

30  Dissert,  apol.  de  quibusdam  Alesandri  Seven  numisnmt.,  p.  59. 
Cited  in  Dictionnaire  de  Parch,  chret.,  vol.  i,  Pt.  II,  Paris,  1907,  cols. 
1789,  1790,  where  the  amulet  is  figured. 


ENGEAYED  AND  CARVED  GEMS       131 

ander  on  the  obverse,  while  the  reverse  bears  the  Greek 
monogram  of  the  name  Chris  tos. 

After  the  third  or  fourth  century  of  our  era  the  art 
of  gem-engraving  seems  to  have  been  lost,  or  at  least 
to  have  been  very  seldom  practised,  and  it  is  noteworthy 
in  the  matter  that  after  this  period  writers  who  treat 
of  the  virtues  of  engraved  gems  as  talismans  rarely,  if 
ever,  use  the  words  "if  you  engrave"  such  or  such  a 
figure  on  a  stone,  but  write  " if  you  find"  such  a  figure. 

The  figures  engraved  on  precious  stones  were  sup- 
posed to  have  a  greater  or  lesser  degree  of  efficacy  in 
themselves  independent  of  the  virtues  peculiar  to  the 
stone  on  which  they  were  engraved,  and  this  efficacy  de- 
pended largely  upon  the  hour,  day,  or  month  during  which 
the  work  was  executed.  For  the  influence  of  the  planet, 
star,  or  constellation  which  was  in  the  ascendant  was 
thought  to  infuse  a  subtle  essence  into  the  stone  while 
the  appropriate  image  was  being  engraved.  However, 
to  exert  the  maximum  power,  the  virtue  of  the  image 
must  be  of  the  same  character  as  the  virtue  inherent  in 
the  material,  and  the  gem  became  less  potent  when  this 
was  not  the  case.  Certain  images,  those  symbolizing  the 
zodiacal  signs  for  instance,  were  looked  upon  as  possess- 
ing such  power  that  their  peculiar  nature  impressed  it- 
self even  upon  stones  inherently  of  different  quality; 
others  again  were  only  efficacious  when  engraved  on 
stones  the  quality  of  which  was  in  sympathy  with  them.21 

Naturally,  many  of  the  ancient  gems  which  had  been 
preserved  from  Greek  and  Roman  times  were  recognized 
as  being  purely  products  of  art,  but  in  medieval  and  later 
times  the  idea  of  the  magic  quality  of  all  engraved  gems 
had  become  so  deeply  rooted  that  in  many  cases  a  magical 

31  Cainilli  Leonard!,  Speculum  Lapidum,  Yenetia,  1502. 


132     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

character  was  ascribed  to  them  entirely  foreign  to  the 
intention  of  the  engraver.  Great  ingenuity  was  often 
displayed  in  seeking  and  finding  some  analogy  between 
the  supposed  significance  of  the  design  and  the  fancied 
power  of  the  stone  itself.  Taking  the  agate  as  an  illus- 
tration, Canaillo  Leonardo  says  that  its  many  different 
varieties  had  as  many  different  virtues,  and  he  finds  in 
this  an  explanation  of  the  multiplicity  of  images  engraved 
on  the  various  kinds  of  agate,  without  realizing  that  the 
true  reason  was  that  this  material  lent  itself  more 
readily  to  artistic  treatment  than  did  many  others. 

The  idea  that  some  special  design  should  be  engraved 
upon  a  given  stone  became  quite  general  in  the  early  cen- 
turies of  our  era.  The  emerald,  for  instance,  according 
to  Damigeron,  was  to  be  engraved  with  a  scarab,  beneath 
which  was  to  be  a  standing  figure  of  Isis.  The  gem,  when 
completed,  was  to  be  pierced  longitudinally  and  worn  in 
a  brooch.  The  fortunate  owner  of  this  talisman  was  then 
to  adorn  himself  and  the  members  of  his  family,  and,  a 
consecration  having  been  pronounced,  he  was  assured 
that  he  would  see  "the  glory  of  the  stone  granted  it  by 
God."22  Possibly  this  may  have  meant  that  the  stone 
would  become  luminous. 

A  list  of  these  symbolic  designs  is  said  to  have  been 
given  in  the  "Book  of  Wings,"  by  Eagiel,  one  of  the 
curious  treatises  composed  about  the  thirteenth  century 
under  the  influence  of  Hebrew  and  Greco-Eoman  tradi- 
tion. Although  it  owes  its  origin  to  the  Hebrew  "Book  of 
Baziel,"  it  bears  little  if  any  likeness  to  that  work.  As 
will  be  seen  in  the  following  items,  the  fact  that  the  design 
is  on  its  appropriate  stone  is  always  insisted  on  : 


"  Speeilegiuin  Solesmense,"  Parisils,  18S5,  vol.  ill,  pp. 
326,  327. 


ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS       133 

The  beautiful  and  terrible  figure  of  a  dragon.  If  this  is  found 
on  a  ruby  or  any  other  stone  of  similar  nature  and  virtue,  it  has  the 
power  to  augment  the  goods  of  this  world  and  makes  the  wearer  joyous 
and  healthy. 

The  figure  of  a  falcon,  if  on  a  topaz,  helps  to  acquire  the  good- 
will of  kings,  princes,  and  magnates.  The  image  of  an  astrolabe,  if  on 
a  sapphire,  has  power  to  increase  wealth  and  enables  the  wearer  to 
predict  the  future. 

The  well-formed  image  of  a  lion,  if  engraved  on  a  garnet,  will 
protect  and  preserve  honors  and  health,  cures  the  wearer  of  all  dis- 
eases, brings  him  honors,  and  guards  him  from  all  perils  in  travelling. 

An  ass,  if  represented  on  a  chrysolite,  will  give  power  to  prog- 
nosticate and  predict  the  future. 

The  figure  of  a  ram  or  of  a  bearded  man,  on  a  sapphire,  has  the 
power  to  cure  and  preserve  from  many  infirmities  as  well  as  to  free 
from  poison  and  from  all  demons.  This  is  a  royal  image;  it  confers 
dignities  and  honors  and  exalts  the  wearer. 

A  frog,  engraved  on  a  beryl,  will  have  the  power  to  reconcile 
enemies  and  produce  friendship  where  there  was  discord. 

A  camel's  head  or  two  goats  among  myrtles,  if  on  an  onyx,  has 
the  power  to  convoke,  assemble,  and  constrain  demons;  if  any  one 
wears  it,  he  will  see  terrible  visions  in  sleep. 

A  vulture,  if  on  a  chrysolite,  has  the  power  to  constrain  demons 
and  the  winds.  It  controls  demons  and  prevents  them  from  coming 
together  in  the  place  where  the  gem  may  be;  it  also  guards  against 
their  importunities.  The  demons  obey  the  wearer. 

A  bat,  represented  on  a  heliotrope  or  bloodstone,  gives  the  wearer 
power  over  "demons  and  helps  incantations. 

A  griffin,  imaged  on  a  crystal,  produces  abundance  of  milk. 

A  man  richly  dressed  and  with  a  beautiful  object  in  his  hand, 
engraved  on  a  carnelian,  cheeks  the  flow  of  blood  and  confers  honors. 

A  lion  or  an  archer,  on  a  jasper,  gives  help  against  poison  and 
cures  from  fever. 

A  man  in  armor,  with  bow  and  arrow,  on  an  iris  stone,  protects 
from  evil  both  the  wearer  and  the  place  where  it  may  be. 

A  man  with  a  sword  in  his  hand,  on  a  carnelian,  preserves  the 
place  where  it  may  be  from  lightning  and  tempest,  and  guards  the 
wearer  from  vices  and  enchantments. 

A  bull  engraved  on  a  prase  is  said  to  give  aid  against  evil  spells 
and  to  procure  the  favor  of  magistrates. 


134    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

A  hoopoo  with  a  tarragon  herb  before  it,  represented  on  a  beryl, 
confers  the  power  to  invoke  water-spirits  and  to  converse  with  them, 
as  well  as  to  call  up  the  mighty  dead  and  to  obtain  answers  to  ques- 
tions addressed  to  them. 

A  swallow,  on  a  eelonite,  establishes  and  preserves  peace  and 
concord  among  men. 

A  man  with  his  right  hand  raised  aloft,  if  engraved  on  a  chal- 
cedony, gives  success  in  lawsuits,  renders  the  wearer  healthy,  gives  him 
safety  in  his  travels  and  preserves  him  from  all  evil  chances. 

The  names  of  God,  on  a  ceraunia  stone,  have  the  power  to  pre- 
serve the  place  where  the  stone  may  be  from  tempests;  they  also  give 
to  the  wearer  victory  over  his  enemies. 

A  bear,  if  engraved  on  an  amethyst,  has  the  virtue  of  putting 
demons  to  flight  and  defends  and  preserves  the  wearer  from  drunken- 
ness. 

A  man  in  armor,  graven  on  a  magnet,  or  loadstone,  has  the  power 
to  aid  in  incantations  and  makes  the  wearer  victorious  in  war.23 

An  Italian  manuscript,  dating  from  the  fourteenth 
century,  gives  the  following  talismanic  gems  : 

If  thou  findest  a  stone  on  which  is  graven  or  figured  a  man  with  a 
goat's  head,  whoever  wears  this  stone,  with  God's  help,  will  have  great 
riches  and  the  love  of  all  men  and  animals. 

If  a  stone  be  found  on  which  is  graven  or  figured  an  armed  man 
or  the  draped  figure  of  a  virgin,  bound  with  laurel  and  having  a  laurel 
branch  in  her  hand,  thisi  stone  is  sacred  and  frees  the  wearer  from  all 
changes  and  haps  of  fortune. 

When  thou  findest  a  stone  on  which  isi  graven  the  figure  of  a  man 
holding  a  scythe  in  his  hand,  a  stone  like  this  imparts  strength  and 
power  to  the  wearer.  Every  day  adds  to  his  strength,  courage  and 
boldness. 

Hold  dear  that  stone  on  which  thou  shalt  find  figured  or  cut  the 
moon  or  the  sun,  or  both  together,  for  it  makes  the  wearer  chaste  and 
guards  him  from  lust. 

A  jewel  to  be  prized  is  that  stone  on  which  is  graven  or  figured  a 
man  with  wings  having  beneath  his  feet  a  serpent  whose  head  he 

^Camilli  Leonardi,  "Speculum  Lapidum,"  Venetia,  1502,  ff. 
Ivi-lvii. 


ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS      135 

holds  in  his  hand.  A  stone  of  this  kind  gives  the  wearer,  by  God's 
help,  abundant  wealth  of  knowledge,  as  well  as  good  health  and  favor. 

Shouldst  thou  find  a  stone  on  which  is  the  figure  of  a  man  holding 
in  his  right  hand  a  palm  branch,  this  stone,  with  God's  help,  renders 
the  wearer  victorious  in  disputes  and  in  battles,  and  brings  him  the 
favor  of  the  great. 

Finding  the  stone  called  jasper,  bearing  graven  or  figured  a 
huntsman,  a  dog,  or  a  stag,  the  wearer,  with  God's  help,  will  have  the 
power  to  heal  one  possessed  of  a  devil,  or  who  is  insane. 

A  good  stone  is  that  one  on  which  thou  shalt  find  graven  or 
figured  a  serpent  with  a  raven,  on  its  tail.  Whoever  wears  this  stone 
will  enjoy  high  station  and  be  much  honored;  it  also  protects  from 
the  ill-effects  of  the  heat.24 

The  original  meaning  of  the  swastika  emblem  has 
been  variously  -explained  as  a  symbol  of  fire,  of  the  four 
cardinal  points,  of  water,  of  the  lightning,  etc.  Still 
another  explanation  is  given  by  Hoernes,  who  inclines  to 
the  belief  that  it  is  simply  a  conventionalized  representa- 
tion of  the  human  form,  the  lower  shaft  being  the  two 
legs  joined  together,  the  two  horizontal  shafts  the  out- 
stretched arms,  and  the  upper  shaft  the  trunk  of  the 
body;  the  four  projections  would  stand  for  the  feet,  the 
two  hands  and  the  head.25 

The  Egyptian  crux  ansata,  the  hieroglyphic  symbol 
for  "life,"  and  the  Phoenician  Tau  symbol,  the  "mark" 
that  was  to  be  stamped  upon  the  foreheads  of  the  faithful 
in  Jerusalem  (Ezek.  ix,  4),  and  which  in  Early  Christian 
art  was  frequently  substituted  for  the  usual  cross,  are 
both  explained  by  Hoernes  in  a  similar  way,  and  he  notes 
the  fact  that  the  swastika  symbol  does  not  appear  in 

44  From  an  anonymous  Italian  treatise  in  a  fourteenth  century 
MS.  in  the  author's  collection;  fol.  40  verso,  41  recto. 

25  Hoernes,  "  Urgeschichte  der  bildenden  Kunst,"  Vienna,  1898,  p. 
338. 


136     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Egyptian  or  Phoenician  art,  drawing  the  inference  that 
all  three  symbols  originated  in  the  same  form  or  figure.26 
To  all  these  symbols  were  attributed  talismanic  virtues 
and  they  were  frequently  engraved  on  precious  stones. 

The  so-called  "Monogrammatic  Cross"  was  very 
freely  used  in  work  of  the  fifth  century.  This  is  simply 
a  modification  of  the  monogram  formed  of  the  first  two 


MONOGRAM  OF  THE  NAME  OF  CHRIST  ENGRAVED  ON  AN  ONYX  GEM. 
From  the  "Cabinet  de  Pierres  Antiques  Gravies,"  of  Gorlaeus,  Paris,  1778,  PI.  XCV. 

letters  of  the  name  Christ  as  written  in  Greek,  a  device 
which  first  appeared  after  the  time  of  Constantine  the 
Great  (d.  337  A.D.).  This  monogram  usually  assumed  the 
following  form:  P,  and  the  "Monogrammatic  Cross " 
was  made  by  changing  the  position  of  the  Greek  X  (chi), 
and  making  one  of  its  arms  serve  as  the  straight  stroke 
of  the  P  (r),  thus  giving  the  following  form:  P. 

30  He-ernes^  TJrgeschichte  der  bildenden  Kunst,"  Vienna,  1898,  p.  338. 


MOSS  AGATE  MOCHA  STONES,  HINDOOSTAN. 


ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS       137 

A  curious  amulet  to  avert  the  spell  of  the  Evil  Eye 
is  an  engraved  sard  showing  an  eye  in  the  centre,  around 
which  are  grouped  the  attributes  of  the  divinities  pre- 
siding over  the  days  of  the  week.  Sunday,  the  dies  Soils, 
is  represented  by  a  lion;  Monday,  the  dies  Lunse,  by  a 
stag;  Tuesday,  the  dies  Martis,  by  a  scorpion;  Wednes- 
day, the  dies  Mercurii,  by  a  dog;  Thursday,  the  dies  Jovis, 
by  a  thunderbolt ;  Friday,  the  dies  Veneris,  by  a  snake ; 
and  Saturday,  the  dies  Saturni,  by  an  owL2T  In  this  way 
the  wearer  was  protected  at  all  times  from  the  evil  in- 
fluence. 

Because  of  its  peculiar  markings,  some  of  which  sug- 
gest the  form  of  an  eye,  malachite  was  worn  in  some  parts 
of  Italy  (e.g.,  in  Bettona)  as  an  amulet  to  protect  the 
wearer  from  the  spell  of  the  Evil  Eye.  Such  stones  were 
called  "peacock-stones,"  from  their  resemblance  in  color 
and  marking  to  the  peacock's  tail.  The  form  of  these 
malachite  amulets  is  usually  triangular,  and  they  were 
mounted  in  silver.  It  is  curious  to  note,  as  a  proof  of  the 
persistence  of  superstitions,  that  in  an  Etruscan  tomb 
at  Chiusi  there  was  found  a  triangular,  perforated  piece 
of  glass,  each  angle  terminating  in  an  eye  formed  of  glass 
of  various  colors.28 

On  many  of  the  amulets  fabricated  in  Italy  for  pro- 
tection against  the  dreaded  jettatura,  or  spell  of  the 
Evil  Eye,  the  cock  is  figured.  His  image  was  supposed  in 
ancient  times  to  assure  the  protection  of  the  sun-god,  and 
his  crowing  was  regarded  as  an  inarticulate  hymn  of 
praise  to  this  deity.  He  was  also  a  type  of  dauntless 
courage.  All  this  contributed  to  make  him  a  defender  of 

^King,  "The  Gnostics  and  their  Remains,"  London,  1864,  p. 
238,  figure  opp.  p.  115. 

38  Catalogue  de  PExpositioa  de  la  Soci&e  d'Anthropologie  ^Expo- 
sition rde  1900),  p.  286. 


138     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  weak,  especially  of  women  and  children,  against  the 
wiles  of  the  spirits  of  darkness.29  Bostand,  in  his 
"Chantecler,"  lias  enlarged  this  conception,  and  endows 
the  cock  with  the  proud  conviction  that  it  is  to  his  matu- 


TWO  GOLD  RINGS  SET  WITH  ENGRAVED  ONYX  GEMS. 

On  the  rights  a  Victory;  on  the  left,  game-cocks.    From  the  DactyEotJieca,  of  Gorlaeus, 
Delft,  1601,  Figs.  171,  172. 

tinal  chant  alone  that  the  world  owes  the  daily  recurrent 
phenomenon  of  the  sunrise. 

In  Palestine  the  Evil  Eye  is  supposed  to  be  the  baleful 
gift  of  men  who  have  light-blue  eyes,  more  especially  if 

"Elworthy,  «  The  Evil  Eye,"  London,  1895,  pp.  353,  354. 


ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS       139 

they  are  beardless.  Possibly  this  is  the  power  in  which 
some  of  our  blond  and  beardless  "mashers"  repose  their 
trust.  As  an  antidote  to  the  awful  influence  of  these 
blue-eyed  monsters,  the  Syrian  women  decorated  them- 
selves with  blue  beads,  on  the  principle  similia  similibus 
curantur.  A  maiden  with  beautiful  hair  will  tie  a  blue 
ribbon  about  it,  or  wear  a  blue  bead  in  it,  so  as  to  ward 
off  any  evil  spell  cast  by  the  blue  eye  that  might  rob  her 
of  her  fair  dower.30 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  many  amulets  were  made 
in  forms  suggesting  objects  offensive  to  our  sense  of 
propriety*  These  were  thought  to  protect  the  wearers 
by  denoting  the  contempt  they  felt  for  the  evil  spirits 
leagued  against  them.  Some  such  fancy  may  have  in- 
duced the  peculiar  designs  of  certain  of  the  jewels  alleged 
to  have  been  pawned  in  Paris  by  the  ex-Sultan  Abdul 
Hamid  for  the  sum  of  1,200,000  francs  ($240,000).  Ac- 
cording to  rumor,  these  pledges  must  be  sold,  as  the 
sultan  has  failed  to  redeem  them,  but  the  designs  are  so 
risque  that  they  cannot  be  offered  at  public  sale ;  there- 
fore the  stones  and  pearls  are  to  be  removed  and  the  gold 
settings  are  to  be  melted  and  sold  as  metal. 

It  is  not  exclusively  characteristic  of  our  commercial 
and  industrial  age  that  the  price  paid  for  a  work  of  art 
should  influence  the  popular  estimation  of  the  merits  of 
the  work,  as  appears  in  an  anecdote  related  by  Pliny. 
An  emerald  (smaragd),  upon  which  was  engraved  a 
figure  of  Amymone  (one  of  the  Danaidse),  having  been 
offered  for  sale  in  the  Isle  of  Cyprus,  at  the  price  of  six 
golden  denarii,  Ismenias,  a  flute-player,  gave  orders  to 

^Stern,  "Medizin,  Aborglaube  und  Gescheleehtsleben  in  der 
Turkei,"  Berlin,  1903,  vol.  i,  p.  235. 


140     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

purchase  it.  The  dealer,  however,  reduced  the  price  and 
returned  two  denarii;  upon  which  Ismenias  remarked, 
"By  Hercules !  he  has  done  me  but  a  bad  turn  in  this,  for 
the  merit  of  the  stone  has  been  greatly  impaired  by  this 
reduction  in  price.5'31 

A  variant  of  the  design  directed  by  Damigeron  to  be 
placed  on  the  emerald  is  recommended  in  a  thirteenth 
century  manuscript,  where  we  read  that  to  fit  this  stone 
for  use  as  a  talisman,  it  should  be  engraved  with  the 
form  of  a  scarab,  beneath  which  there  should  appear  a 
crested  paroquet.32  According  to  the  same  manuscript, 
a  jasper  should  bear  the  figure  of  Mars  fully  armed,  or 
else  that  of  a  virgin  wearing  a  flowing  robe  and  bearing 
a  laurel  branch.  It  should  then  be  * i  consecrated  with  per- 
petual consecration. "  The  mythical  author  Cethel  as- 
serts that  the  owner  of  a  jasper  engraved  with  the  sacred 
symbol  of  the  cross  would  be  preserved  from  drowning.33 

A  curious  quid  pro  quo  appears  in  a  fifteenth  century 
treatise  on  gems  written  in  French.  Here,  in  a  list  of 
engraved  gems  suitable  for  use  as  amulets,  we  read,  "If 
you  find  a  dromedary  engraved  on  a  stone  with  hair  flow- 
ing over  its  shoulders,  this  stone  will  bring  peace  and 
concord  between  man  and  wife. "  The  original  Latin  text 
read,  "If  you  find  Andromeda  on  a  stone  with  hair  flow- 
ing over  her  shoulders,  etc.84  The  translator's  art  which 
could  turn  Andromeda  into  a  dromedary  almost  equalled 
that  of  the  enchantress  Circe. 

31  Plini,   "  Historia  naturalis/'  lib  xxxvi,  cap.  3. 

33  Archseologia,  vol.  xxx,  p.  541,  London,  1844;  MS.  Harl.  No.  80, 
folio  105,  recto. 

88  Pitra,  "  Specilegium  Solesmense,"  Parisiis,  1855,  vol.  iii,  p.  336. 

84  De  Mely,  in  La  Grande  Encyclopedie.  vol.  xxv,  p.  SS5,  art. 
Pierres  precieuses. 


ENGRAVED  AND  CARVED  GEMS       141 

A  few  even  of  the  early  writers  were  disposed  to  be 
sceptical  as  to  the  virtues  ascribed  to  these  engraved 
gems,  and  did  not  hesitate  to  assert  that  the  Greek  and 
Eoman  engravers  executed  their  designs  for  ornamental 
purposes  rather  than  to  fit  the  gems  for  use  as  talismans. 
This  was  undoubtedly  true  in  a  large  number  of  cases 
but  nevertheless,  as  we  have  seen,  many  engraved  talis- 
mans were  really  cut  in  the  early  centuries.  As  the  art 
of  gem  engraving  was  not  practised  in  the  Middle  Ages, 
some  medieval  writers  suppose  that  the  engraved  talis- 
manic  gems  current  in  their  time  were  not  works  of  art, 
but  of  nature,  and  Konrad  von  Megenberg  accepting  this 
view,  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  "God  granted  these 
stones  their  beauty  and  virtue  for  the  help  and  comfort 
of  the  human  race/'  adding  that  when  he  hoped  to  re- 
ceive help  from  them  he  in  no  wise  denied  the  grace  of 
God.35 

Damigeron  writes  of  the  sard  that,  if  worn  by  a 
woman,  it  is  a  good  and  fortunate  stone.  It  should  be  en- 
graved with  a  design  showing  a  grape-vine  and  ivy  inter- 
twined. 36 

A  celebrated  topaz  was  that  noted  by  George  Agricola 
as  being  in  the  possession  of  a  Neapolitan,  Hadrianus 
Grulielmus.37  It  bore,  in  ancient  Eoman  characters,  the 
terse  and  pregnant  inscription : 

ISTatura  deficit, 
Fortuna  mutatur. 
Dens  omnia  cernit. 

85 Konrad  von  Megenberg,  "Buck  der  Natur,"  Stuttgart,  1861, 
p.  469. 

8CPitra,  "  Speeilegium  Solesmense,"  Parisiis,  1855,  vol.  in,  p.  335. 
w  Agrieola,  "  De  natura  f  ossilum,"  lib.  vi,  Basilese,  1546,  p.  291. 


142     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

This  was  very  freely  rendered  by  Thomas  Nicols  as 
follows : 3B 

Nature  by  frailty  doth  dayly  waste  away. 
Fortune  is  turn'd  and  changed  every  day. 
In  all,  there  is  an  eye  know's  no  decay. 
Jah  sees  for  aye. 

There  is  in  the  Imperial  Academy  at  Moscow  a  tur- 
qnoise  two  inches  in  diameter,  inscribed  with  a  text  from 
the  Koran  in  letters  of  gold.  This  turquoise  was  form- 
erly worn  by  the  Shah  of  Persia  as  an  amulet,  and  it 
was  valued  at  5000  rubles  by  the  jeweller  from  whose 
hands  it  came.39 

It  is  well  known  that  Napoleon  III  was  inclined  to  be 
superstitious,  and  there  is  not,  therefore,  anything  in- 
herently improbable  in  the  report  that  he  left  the  seal  he 
wore  on  his  watch-chain  to  his  son,  the  unfortunate  Prince 
Imperial,  as  a  talisman.  This  seal  is  said  to  have  borne 
an  inscription  in  Arabic  characters,  signifying  "The 
slave  Abraham  relying  on  the  Merciful  One  (Grod)."40 
The  talisman  lost  its  virtue  on  that  unlucky  day  when,  in 
far-off  Zululand,  the  heir  to  so  many  hopes  was  cut  off 
in  the  first  flush  of  early  manhood  (see  page  64). 

"Nicols,  "Faithful  Lapidary/7  London,  1659,  p.  107. 
^Kluge,  "  Edelsteinkunde,"  Leipsie,  1860,  p.  366. 
*°Fernie,  "Precious  Stones  for  Curative  Wear,"  Bristol,  1907, 
p.  109. 


V 

fl)n  €>mftto«#  ana 


THE   OPAL 

Mother.      Come,  let  me  place  a  charm  upon  thy  brow, 
And  may  good  spirits  grant,  that  never  care 
Approach,  to  trace  a  single  furrow  there  ! 

Daughter.  Thy  love,  my  mother,  better  far  than  charm, 

Shall  shield  thy  child  —  and  yet  this  wondrous  gem1 
Looks  as  though  some  strange  influence  it  had  won 
From  the  bright  skies  —  for  every  rainbow  hue 
Shoots  quivering  through  its  depths  in  changeful  gleams, 
Like  the  mild  lightnings  of  a  summer  eve. 

Mother.      Even  so  doth  love  pervade  a  mother's  heart; 

Thus,  ever  active,  looks  through  her  fond  eyes.3 


can  be  little  doubt  that  much  of  the  modern 
superstition  regarding  the  supposed  unlucky 
quality  of  the  opal  owes  its  origin  to  a  careless  reading 
of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novel,  "Anne  of  G-eierstein."3 
The  wonderful  tale  therein  related  of  the  Lady  Hermione, 
a  sort  of  enchanted  princess,  who  came  no  one  knew 
whence  and  always  wore  a  dazzling  opal  in  her  hair,  con- 
tains nothing  to  indicate  that  Scott  really  meant  to  rep- 
resent the  opal  as  unlucky.  Lady  Hermione's  gem  was 
an  enchanted  stone  just  as  its  owner  was  a  product  of 

1  The  opal  is  said  to  preserve  its  wearer  from  disease;  and  hence, 
in  the  East,  is  much  used  in  the  form  of  amulets. 

3  From  "  Gems  of  Beauty,"  by  the  Countess  of  Blessington,  Lon- 
don, 1836. 

'Sir  Walter  Scott,  "Novels,"  The  Janson  Society,  New  York, 
1907,  vol.  acriii,  pp.  126-138. 

143 


144     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

enchantment,  and  its  peculiarities  depended  entirely  upon 
its  mysterious  character,  which  might  equally  well  have 
been  attributed  to  a  diamond,  a  ruby,  or  a  sapphire.  The 
life  of  the  stone  was  bound  up  with  the  life  of  Hermione; 
it  sparkled  when  she  was  gay,  it  shot  out  red  gleams 
when  she  was  angry;  and  when  a  few  drops  of  holy  water 
were  sprinkled  over  it,  they  quenched  its  radiance.  Her- 
mione fell  into  a  swoon,  was  carried  to  her  chamber,  and 
the  next  day  nothing  but  a  small  heap  of  ashes  remained 
on  the  bed  whereon  she  had  been  laid.  The  spell  was 
broken  and  the  enchantment  dissolved.  All  that  can  have 
determined  the  selection  of  the  opal  rather  than  any 
other  precious  stone  is  the  fact  of  its  wonderful  play  of 
color  and  its  sensitiveness  to  moisture.  Hence  we  are 
perfectly  justified  in  returning  to  the  older  belief  of  the 
manifold  virtues  of  the  opal,  only  remembering  that  this 
gem  is  a  little  more  fragile  than  many  others  and  should 
be  more  carefully  handled  and  guarded. 

The  opal,  October's  gem,  recalls  in  its  wonderful  and 
varied  play  of  color  the  glories  of  a  bright  October  day 
in  the  country,  when  earth  and  sky  vie  with  each  other 
in  brilliancy  and  the  eye  is  fairly  dazzled  with  the  be- 
wildering variety  of  color. 

It  rarely  happens  that  Pliny  gives  any  information 
as  to  particular  jewels,  almost  all  his  notices  of  precious 
stones  being  confined  to  descriptions  of  their  form  and 
color,  and  data  regarding  what  was  popularly  believed 
as  to  their  talismanic  or  therapeutic  power.  In  the  case 
of  the  opalus,  however,  he  writes  as  follows:  " There 
exists  to-day  a  gem  of  this  kind,  on  account  of  which  the 
senator  Nonius  was  proscribed  by  Antony.  Seeking 
safety  in  flight,  he  took  with  him  of  all  his  possessions 
this  ring  alone,  which  it  is  certain,  was  valued  at 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  145 

2,000,000   sesterces    ($80,000).  "4     The   stone  was  kvas 
large  as  a  hazel-nut." 

This  "opal  of  Nonius"  would  be  the  great  historic 
opal  if  we  had  any  assurance  that  it  was  really  the  stone 
to  which  we  now  give  this  name.  As,  however,  the  prin- 
cipal European  source  of  supply  in  Hungary  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  available  in  classic  times  to  the 
Eomans,  and  as  opals  are  not  found  in  the  places  whence, 
according  to  Pliny,  the  opalus  was  derived,  we  are  almost 
forced  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  some  other  stone  in 
mind  when  he  gave  his  eloquent  description  of  the  opalus. 
And  yet,  in  spite  of  all  this,  Pliny's  words  so  well  describe 
the  beauties  of  a  fine  opal  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine 
what  other  stone  he  could  have  meant.  For  it  can  well 
be  said  of  opals  that  "  There  is  in  them  a  softer  fire  than 
in  the  carbuncle,  there  is  the  brilliant  purple  of  the 
amethyst;  there  is  the  sea-green  of  the  emerald — all 
shining  together  in  incredible  union.  Some  by  their  re- 
fulgent splendor  rival  the  colors  of  the  painters,  others 
the  flame  of  burning  sulphur  or  of  fire  quickened  by  oil."5 
Possibly  some  brilliant  varieties  of  iridescent  quartz — 
"iris"  quartz,  possessing  an  internal  fracture,  displays 
with  great  brilliancy  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  spark- 
ling with  wonderful  clearness  in  its  field  of  transparent 
mineral — might  excite  the  admiration  of  one  who  had 
never  seen  an  opal.  Referring  again  to  these  quartz 
crystals,  they  are  often  cut  so  as  to  form  a  dome  of 
quartz  and  are  even  used  as  distinct  jewels.  The  fact 
that  Pliny  could  praise  the  Indian  imitations  of  the 
opalus  in  glass,  and  could  state  that  this  stone  was  more 
successfully  imitated  than  any  other,  is  an  almost  de- 

*Plinii,  "ISTaturalis  historia,"  lib.  sxxvii,  cap.  6- 
5  Plinii,  1.  c. 
10 


146     THE  CURIOUS  LOKE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

cisive  argument  against  identifying  the  opalus  with  an 
opal,  for  it  is  well  known  that  no  stone  is  more  difficult 
to  imitate. 

About  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  a  peasant 
found  a  brilliant  precious  stone  in  some  old  ruins  at 
Alexandria,  Egypt.  This  stone  was  set  in  a  ring.  It  was 
as  large  as  a  hazel-nut  and  is  said  to  have  been  an  opal 
cut  en  cabochon.  According  to  the  report,  it  was  event- 
ually taken  to  Constantinople,  where  it  was  estimated  to 
be  worth  "several  thousand  ducats.7'6  The  description 
given  of  this  gem,  its  apparent  antiquity,  and  the  high 
value  set  upon  it  have  contributed  to  induce  many  to 
conjecture  that  it  was  the  celebrated  "opal  of  Nonius." 
Of  course  this  was  nothing  but  a  romantic  fancy.  It  is 
also  quite  certain  that  an  opal  would  scarcely  hold  its 
play  of  color  or  compactness  for  twenty  centuries,  for 
most  opals  lose  their  water — slowly  perhaps,  but  surely — 
within  a  lesser  space  of  time.  Even  the  finest  Hungarian 
opals  show  some  loss  of  life  and  color  within  a  century 
or  even  less,  and  some  transparent  Mexican  opals  lose 
their  color  and  are  filled  with  flaws  within  a  few  years' 
time. 

The  Edda  tells  of  a  sacred  stone  called  the  yarkastein, 
which  the  clever  smith  Volondr  (the  Scandinavian  Vul- 
can) formed  from  the  eyes  of  children.  Grimm  conjec- 
tures that  this  name  designates  a  round,  milk-white  opal. 
Certainly  the  opal  was  often  called  ophthalmias,  or  eye- 
stone,  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and  it  was  a  common  idea  that 
the  image  of  a  boy  or  girl  could  be  seen  in  the  pupil  of  the 
eye. 

Albertus  Magnus  describes  under  the  name  orphamts 

6  Hesselquist,  "  Voyages  and  Travels  in  the  Levant/7  English  trans., 
London,  1766,  pp.  273,  274. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES 


147 


a  stone  which  was  set  in  the  imperial  crown  of  the  Holy 
Roman  Empire.  This  gem  is  believed  to  have  been  a 
splendid  opal,  and  Albertus  describes  it  as  follows : 

The  orphanus  is  a  stone  which  is  in  the  crown  of  the  Roman 
Emperor,  and  none  like  it  has  ever  been  seen;  for  this  very  reason 
it  is  called  orphanus.  It  is  of  a  subtle  vinous  tinge,  and  its  hue  is  as 


THE  "ORPHANUS  JEWEL"  IN  THE  GERMAN  IMPERIAL  CROWN. 

From  the  "Hortus  Sanitatia"  of  Johannis  de  Cuba  [Strassburg,  Jean  Pryss,  ca.  1483];  De 

lapidibus,  cap.  xcii.    Author's  library. 

though  pure  white  snow  flashed  and  sparkled  with  the  color  of  bright, 
ruddy  wine,  and  was  overcome  by  this  radiance.  It  is  a  translucent 
stone,  and  there  is  a  tradition  that  formerly  it  shone  in  the  night- 
time; but  now,  in  our  age,  it  does  not  sparkle  in  the  dark.  It  is  said 
to  guard  the  regal  honor.7 


7Alberti  Magni,   Opera   Omnia,  ed.  Borgnet,  Parisiis,  1890,  vol. 
v,  p.  42. 


148     THE  CURIOUS  LOKE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

Evidently  this  imperial  gem  was  regarded  as  sui 
generis,  for  Albertus  has  just  described  the  ophthalmus 
lapis,  a  name  frequently  bestowed  upon  the  opal  in  medie- 
val times,  reciting  the  virtues  usually  ascribed  to  the  opal 
for  the  cure  of  diseases  of  the  eye,  and  the  magic  power 
of  the  stone  to  render  its  wearer  invisible,  wherefore  it 
was  denominated  patronus  furum,  or  "  patron  of 
thieves." 

In  the  Middle  Ages  the  opal  mines  of  Cernowitz,  in 
Hungary,  were  very  actively  exploited,  and  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  fifteenth  century  more  than  three  hundred  men 
are  said  to  have  been  employed  here  in  the  search  for 
opals.  At  that  time,  and  for  many  centuries  after,  no 
breath  of  suspicion  ever  tarnished  the  fame  of  the  opal 
as  not  only  a  thing  of  rare  beauty,  but  also  a  talisman  of 
the  first  rank.  We  are  told  that  blond  maidens  valued 
nothing  more  highly  than  necklaces  of  opals,  for  while 
they  wore  these  ornaments  their  hair  was  sure  to  guard 
its  beautiful  color.  The  latter  superstitions  probably 
arose  from  the  frangibility  of  the  stone  and  its  occasional 
loss  of  fire. 

From  the  earliest  times  the  baleful  influence  of  the 
Evil  Eye  has  struck  terror  into  the  souls  of  the  ignorant 
and  superstitious.  It  is  believed  by  some  that  the  name 
"opal"— written  "ophal"  in  the  time  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth— was  derived  from  ophthalmos,  the  eye,  or  ophthal- 
mius,  pertaining  to  the  eye,  and  that  hence  the  foolish 
superstition  regarding  the  ill  luck  of  the  opal  had  some 
connection  with  the  belief  in  the  Evil  Eye.  However, 
this  is  altogether  incorrect,  since  the  stone  called  ophthal- 
mius  by  early  writers,  and  which  seems  to  have  been  the 
opalus  of  the  ancients  and  our  opal,  was  believed  to  have 
a  wonderfully  beneficial  effect  upon  the  sight,  and  if  it 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  149 

was  thought  to  render  the  wearer  invisible,  this  was  only 
an  added  virtne  of  the  stone. 

The  eye-agates  were  sometimes  used  to  form  the  eyes 
of  idols.  At  a  later  period  some  of  these  "agate-eyes" 
were  removed  from  the  statnes  and  cut  with  a  glyptic 
subject  on  the  lower  side.  Some  of  the  most  interesting 
antique  gems  are  of  this  kind.  In  Aleppo  (and  elsewhere 
in  the  East)  there  is  a  certain  type  of  sore  known  as  the 
"Aleppo  button"  or  "Aleppo  boil."  The  boil  fre- 
quently does  not  appear  for  a  long  period  after  infection 
has  taken  place.  It  often  appears  as  a  swelling  sur- 
rounded by  a  white  ring,  and  there  is  a  belief  among  the 
natives  that  there  are  "Aleppo  stones,"  these  being  the 
so-called  "eye-agates"  frequently  produced  by  cutting 
a  three-layer,  naturally  pale  yellow  or  pale  gray  agate, 
with  intervening  white  zones  in  such  a  way  that  it  looks 
like  an  eye  or  a  double-eye,  and  such  stones  are  used  in 
alleviation  of  the  Aleppo  sore.  What  beneficial  influence 
they  may  have  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  agate  is  cold 
and  furnishes  a  little  relief  for  the  time. 

This  "Aleppo  boil"  or  "Oriental  sore"  so  prevalent 
in  many  parts  of  western  Asia,  is  produced,  according  to 
the  best  authorities,  by  a  pathogenic  organism  Leish- 
mania  tropica  (Wright)  1903.  As  to  the  means  by  which 
this  organism  is  introduced  into  the  human  subject  noth- 
ing very  definite  is  known,  but  mosquitoes  or  Phlebotomus 
have  been  suggested  as  possible  transmitting  agencies.8 

The  eye  of  some  invisible  monster,  the  eye  of  the 
dragon,  the  eye  of  the  serpent,  were  all  regarded  as  pos- 
sessed of  malign  power.  It  is  well  known  that  in  the  East 
Indies  a  peacock's  feather  is  thought  to  bring  ill-luck, 

8  Communication  of  Dr.  Frederick  Knab,  citing  Castellani  and  Chal- 
mers, ''Manual  of  Tropical  Medicine,"  1910. 


150     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  eye  in  the  feather  being  the  baleful  point.  Even  in 
our  own  time,  and  among  those  for  whom  this  primitive 
superstition  has  no  terrors,  the  humorous  use  of  the 
idea — as  shown,  for  instance,  in  the  "Dick  Dead-Eye"  of 
Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  "Pinafore" — proves  that  the  Evil 
Eye  is  familiar  to  our  thoughts.  For  this  reason,  stones 
such  as  those  which  have  been  named  the  cat's-eye,  the 
tiger's-eye,  or  the  oculus  Beli,  always  possess  a  certain 
strange  interest. 

One  of  the  earliest  descriptions  of  the  opal  in  English 
is  that  written  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  by  Dr, 
Stephen  Batman  (cL  1584).  While  the  passage  is  essen- 
tially a  translation  from  the  "De  proprietatibus  rerum," 
of  Bartolomseus  Anglicus,  the  English  version  is  interest- 
ing in  itself  as  showing  what  was  accepted  by  English 
readers  of  the  time  regarding  the  virtues  of  the  opal. 
There  is,  of  course,  no  trace  of  the  foolish  modern  super- 
stition touching  the  ominous  quality  of  this  beautiful 
gem.  Batman  writes : 9 

Optallio  is  called  Oppalus  also,  and  is  a  stone  distinguished  with 
colors  of  divers  precious  stones,  as  Isid.  saith.  .  .  .  This  stone 
breedeth  onely  in  Inde  and  is  deemed  to  have  as  many  virtues,  as 
Mewes  and  colours.  Of  this  Optallius  it  is  said  in  Lapidario,  that  this 
OptalliuB  keepeth  and  saveth  his  eyen  that  beareth  it,  cleere  and  sharp 
and  without  griefe,  and  dimmeth  other  men's  eyen  that  be  about,  with 
a  maner  clowde,  and  smiteth  them  with  a  maner  blindnesse,  that  is 
called  Amentia,  so  that  they  may  not  see  neither  take  heede  what  is 
done  before  their  eyen.  Therefore  it  is  said  that  it  is  the  most  sure 
patron  of  theeves. 

The  opal  seems  to  have  appealed  to  Shakespeare  as  a 
fit  emblem  of  inconstancy,  for  in  "  Twelfth  Night"  he 
makes  the  clown  say  to  the  Duke : 10 

"Batman,  "Uppon  Bartholome,"  London,  15S2,  p.  264,  lib.  xvi, 
cap.  73. 

10  Shakespeare,  "  Twelfth  Night/7  Act  ii,  Sc.  4. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  151 

Now  the  melancholy  G-od  protect  thee,  and  the  Tailor  make  thy 
garment  of  changeable  taffeta,  for  thy  mind  is  very  opal. 

That  the  beauty  of  the  opal  was  fully  appreciated 
in  the  sixteenth  century  is  shown  by  the  words  of  Car- 
dano,  who  states  that  he  once  bought  one  of  these  stones 
for  fifteen  gold  crowns  and  found  as  much  pleasure  in  its 
possession  as  he  did  in  that  of  a  diamond  that  had  cost 
him  five  hundred  crowns.11  Although  superstitious 
beliefs  were  rather  the  rule  than  the  exception  in  Car- 
dano  7s  time,  none  of  the  silly  fancies  regarding  the  omi- 
nous quality  of  the  opal  were  then  current.  It  was 
reserved  for  the  nineteenth  century  to  develop  these  alto- 
gether unreasonable — and  indeed  almost  inexplicable — 
superstitions.  The  ownership  of  so  fair  an  object  as  a 
fine  opal  must  certainly  be  a  source  of  pleasure,  and  hence 
add  to  the  good  fortune  of  the  owner. 

Although  opal  has  been  considered  by  some  a  stone  of 
misfortune,  black  opal  is  regarded  as  an  exceptionally 
lucky  stone.  Formerly  black  opals  were  artificially  made 
by  dipping  the  light-colored  stone  into  ink,  or  by  allowing 
burnt  oil  to  enter  cracks  in  the  stone  produced  by  heat- 
ing. About  the  year  1900,  however,  a  number  of  deposits 
of  natural  black  opals  were  found  in  the  White  Cliff 
region  of  New  South  Wales,  whence  exceedingly  beautiful 
gems  have  been  secured,  with  wonderful  flames  of  green, 
red,  and  blue  in  a  black  field.  Some  of  these  have  sold  for 
$1000  and  even  for  a  higher  price,  the  smaller  ones  bring- 
ing from  a  few  dollars  upward  each.  It  has  been  claimed 
that  $2,000,000  wortK  have  been  sold  from  New  South 
Wales.  A  remarkable  example  is  figured  on  the  frontis- 
piece of  this  volume.  The  late  F.  Marion  Crawford  was  a 
great  admirer  of  this  strangely  beautiful  variety  of  opal. 

That  ill-luck  and  good-luck  are  relative  terms  is  shown 

11  Cardani,  "  Be  subtilitate,"  Basileae,  1560,  p.  445. 


152     THE  CUBIOUS  LOKE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

as  published  of  an  opal  by  Paris  newspapers,  A  shop- 
girl, plainly  clad,  in  crossing  the  Place  de  POpera,  when 
the  street  traffic  was  at  its  greatest,  stopped  at  one  of  the 
"refuges"  halfway  across  the  street.  To  the  girl's  great 
surprise,  an  elegantly  attired  lady  standing  there  slipped 
an  opal  ring  from  her  finger  and  gave  it  to  the  girl,  who 
took  it  to  a  jeweller's  shop  to  sell  it.  Here  she  was 
arrested  on  suspicion  of  having  stolen  it.  The  magis- 
trate before  whom  she  appeared  was  inclined  to  believe 
her  story  and  ordered  a  "personal"  in  a  widely  read 
journal  asking  the  lady  to  clear  the  girl  of  the  charge. 
A  titled  lady  presented  herself,  substantiating  the  girl's 
statement.  She  feared  ill-luck  would  befall  her  if  she 
wore  or  kept  the  ring,  which  was  returned  to  the  shopgirl. 

A  possible  explanation  of  the  superstitious  dread  the 
opal  used  to  excite  some  time  ago  may  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  lapidaries  and  gem-setters  to  whom  opals  were 
entrusted  were  sometimes  so  unfortunate  as  to  fracture 
them  in  the  process  of  cutting  or  setting.  This  was  fre- 
quently due  to  no  fault  on  the  part  of  the  cutters  or  set- 
ters, but  was  owing  to  the  natural  brittleness  of  the  opal. 
As  such  workmen  are  responsible  to  the  owners  for  any 
injury  to  the  gems,  they  would  soon  acquire  a  prejudice 
against  opals,  and  would  come  to  regard  them  as  un- 
lucky stones.  Very  widespread  superstitions  have  no 
better  foundation  than  this,  for  the  original  cause,  some- 
times a  quite  rational  one,  is  soon  lost  sight  of  and  pop- 
ular fantasy  suggests  something  entirely  different  and 
better  calculated  to  appeal  to  the  imagination. 

The  belief  that  the  diamond  fractured  the  teeth  if  it 
were  put  in  the  mouth,  and  ruptured  the  intestines  if  it 
were  swallowed,  already  appears  in  pseudo-Aristotle,12 

13  Rose,  "  Aristoteles  De  lapidibus  und  Arnoldus  Saxo,"  in  Zeitschr. 
fiir  D.  Alt.,  New  Series,  vol.  vi,  p.  391.  See  also  Avicenna,  "Liber 
eanonis,"  Basile®,  1556,  p.  182,  lib.  ii,  Tract,  ii,  cap,  20. 


1,  2,  3,  4,  5.  Eye  agates,  Aleppo  stones,  Arabia. 

G  and  7.  Antique  eye  agates,  with  double  zone. 

8  and  9.  Aleppo  stones  set  in  rings. 

10  and  11.  Double  eye  agates,  Aleppo  stones,  Arabia. 

12.  Natural  pebble,  showing  eye  from  Isle  Royal,  Lake  Superior. 

13  and  14.  Natural  agates  with  eye-like  effect,  East  Indian.    Had  been  used  as  votive  charms. 

15.  Eye  agate,  Brazil. 

16.  Agate  called  Oriental  agate,  eye  effect,  from  Brazil. 

17.  Ancient  eye  of  idol,  agate  variety  sardonyx.     Had  been  pierced  lengthwise  and  worn  i 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  153 

and  can  therefore  be  dated  back  to  the  ninth  and  perhaps 
to  the  seventh  century.  This  fancy  evidently  owes  its 
origin  to  the  fact  that  the  diamond,  because  of  its  hard- 
ness, was  used  to  cut  all  other  stones,  and  the  idea  of  its 
destructive  quality  was  strengthened  by  the  old  legends 
regarding  the  venomous  serpents  which  guarded  the  place 
where  it  was  found.  Hence  the  firm  conviction  that  it 
would  bring  death  to  any  one  who  swallowed  it. 

According  to  Grarcias  ab  Orta  (1563),  the  diamond  was 
not  used  for  medicinal  purposes  in  the  India  of  his  time, 
except  when  injected  into  the  bladder  to  break  up  vesical 
calculi.  He  notes,  however,  the  prevalent  belief  that  dia- 
monds, or  diamond  dust,  when  taken  internally,  worked 
as  a  poison.  As  a  proof  of  the  falsity  of  this  belief, 
G-arcias  adduces  the  fact  that  the  slaves  who  worked  in 
the  diamond  mines  often  swallowed  diamonds  to  conceal 
them,  and  never  experienced  any  ill  effects,  the  stones 
being  recovered  in  a  natural  way.  The  same  author  notes 
the  case  of  a  man  who  suffered  from  chronic  dysentery 
and  whose  wife  had  for  a  long  time  administered  to  him 
doses  of  diamond  dust.  If  this  did  not  help  him,  neither 
did  it  injure  him;  finally,  by  the  advice  of  the  doctors, 
this  strange  treatment  was  abandoned.  The  man  event- 
ually died  of  Ms  disease,  but  many  days  after  the  doses 
of  diamond  dust  had  been  discontinued.13 

The  Hindus  believed  that  a  flawed  diamond,  or  one  con- 
taining specks  or  spots,  was  so  unlucky  that  it  could  even 
deprive  Indra  of  his  highest  heaven.  The  original  shape 
of  the  stone  was  also  considered  of  great  importance, 
more  especially  in  early  times,  when  but  few,  if  any,  dia- 
monds, were  cut.  A  triangular  stone  was  said  to  cause 

"Garcias  ab  Orta,  "Aromatum  historia"  (Lat.  version  by 
Clusius).  AntverpiaB,  1579,  p.  172.  The  Portuguese  original  was  pub- 
lished in  Goa,  in  1563. 


154     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

quarrels,  a  square  diamond  inspired  the  wearer  with 
vague  terrors ;  a  five-cornered  stone  had  the  worst  effect 
of  all,  for  it  brought  death ;  only  the  six-cornered  diamond 
was  productive  of  good.14 

The  Turkish  sultan  Bejazet  II  (1447-1512)  is  said  to 
have  been  done  to  death  by  a  dose  of  pulverized  diamond 
administered  to  him  by  his  son  Selim,  who  mixed  the  dia- 
mond dust  with  the  sultan's  food.15  It  is  also  related  that 
the  disciples  of  Paracelsus  (1493-1541)  spread  the  re- 
port that  he  died  from  the  effects  of  a  dose  of  diamond 
dust.  Ambrosius  16  conjectures  that  this  was  only  an 
excuse  to  explain  the  demise  of  the  master  in  the  prime 
of  life — he  was  but  forty-eight  years  old  at  the  time  of 
his  death — although  he  had  promised  long  life  to  all  who 
made  use  of  his  medicaments. 

While  Benvenuto  Cellini  (1500-1571),  the  unrivalled 
goldsmith,  was  imprisoned  in  Borne,  in  1538,  he  strongly 
suspected  that  his  enemies  were  seeking  to  poison  him 
by  tampering  with  his  food.  Cellini  shared  the  belief 
of  his  contemporaries  that  there  was  no  more  deadly 
poison  than  diamond  dust  One  day,  while  eating  his 
noonday  meal,  he  felt  something  grate  between  his  teeth. 
He  paid  no  particular  attention  to  this,  but  when  he  had 
finished  eating  his  eye  was  caught  by  some  bright  par- 
ticles on  the  plate.  Picking  np  one  of  these  and  examin- 
ing it  carefully,  he  was  terrified  to  find  what  he  supposed 
to  be  a  diamond  splinter,  and  lie  straightway  gave  himself 
up  for  lost,  thinking  that  he  had  swallowed  a  quantity  of 
diamond  dust.  He  prayed  to  God  for  an  hour  and  finally 

"Surindra  Mohun  Tagore,  "Mani  Mala,"  Pt.  I,  Calcutta,  1879, 
pp.  122,  125. 

"Justi  Lepsii,  "De  fraude  et  vi,"  cap.  v,  §8;  cited  in  Pindar, 
"  De  adamante,"  Berolini,  1829,  p.  58. 

te  Aldrovandi,  u  Museum  metallieum/'  Bononije,  1648,  p.  949. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  155 

became  reconciled  to  the  thought  of  dying,  but  suddenly 
it  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  not  tested  the  hardness  of 
the  fragment  he  had  found  in  his  food.  He  immediately 
took  the  splinter  and  tried  to  crush  it  between  his  knife 
and  the  stone  window-sill;  to  his  joy  the  attempt  suc- 
ceeded, and  he  became  convinced  that  what  he  had  swal- 
lowed was  not  diamond  dust.  Later,  after  his  release, 
Cellini  learned  that  an  enemy  had  given  a  diamond  to  a 
certain  Lione  Aretino,  a  gem-cutter,  instructing  him  to 
grind  it  up  so  that  the  dust  could  be  placed  in  Cellini's 
food.  The  gem-cutter  was  very  poor  and  the  diamond 
was  worth  a  hundred  scudi,  so  the  man  yielded  to  tempta- 
tion and  substituted  a  citrine  for  the  diamond.  To  this 
circumstance  alone  did  Cellini  attribute  his  escape  from 
death.17 

In  England,  more  than  seventy  years  after  Cellini's 
experience,  diamond  dust  was  selected  as  a  poison  to  do 
away  with  a  luckless  prisoner.  Sir  Thomas  Overbury 
had  incurred  the  bitter  animosity  of  the  Countess  of 
Essex,  because  he  opposed  her  marriage  with  the  favorite 
of  James  I,  Robert  Carr,  Viscount  Somerset,  whom  he 
had  befriended  and  whose  career  he  had  furthered.  The 
marriage  took  place,  however,  and,  in  1613,  Overbury  was 
imprisoned  in  the  Tower,  through  the  machinations  of 
the  countess.  She  then  sought  the  aid  of  one  James 
Franklin,  an  apothecary,  directing  him  to  concoct  a  slow 
and  deadly  poison,  which  should  be  mixed  with  Over- 
bury's  food.  In  the  minutes  of  Franklin's  confession,  he 
is  said  to  have  stated  that  the  countess  asked  him  what 
he  thought  of  white  arsenic.  His  reply  was  that  this 
poison  would  prove  too  violent.  "What  say  you  (quoth 
she)  to  powder  of  diamonds?"  He  answered,  "I  know 

17  Vita  di  Benvenuto  Cellini,  ed.  Carpani,  Milano,  1806,  p.  445. 


156     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

not  the  nature  of  that."  She  said  that  he  was  a  fool, 
and  gave  him  pieces  of  gold,  and  bade  him  buy  some  of 
that  powder  for  her.  It  appears,  however,  from  the  tes- 
timony, that  a  number  of  ingredients  were  employed, 
quite  probably  small  doses  of  mercury,  cantharides,  etc., 
as  well  as  the  baleful  diamond  dust.  Poor  Overbury 
lingered  on  for  more  than  three  months,  but  was  finally 
put  out  of  his  misery  by  a  clyster  of  corrosive  sublimate.18 

As  a  proof  of  the  deadly  effects  caused  by  the  dia- 
mond, the  Portuguese  Zacutus  relates  the  case  of  a  mer- 
chant's servant  who  surreptitiously  swallowed  three 
rough  diamonds  belonging  to  his  master.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  this  man  was  seized  with  violent  abdominal  pains, 
all  the  remedies  administered  to  him  were  without  effect, 
and  he  soon  died  from  the  extensive  internal  ulceration 
produced  by  the  sharp  edges  of  the  diamonds.19 

This  old  fancy  that  diamonds  or  diamond  dust  had 
deadly  effects  when  swallowed  is  pretty  well  exploded  by 
this  time,  little  or  no  confirmation  being  afforded  by  the 
instances  cited  in  the  matter.  However,  quite  recently  it 
has  been  shown  that  swallowing  a  diamond  can  prove 
fatal  to  a  fowl.  While  a  prize-winning  cockerel  was 
being  fondled  by  his  proud  owner,  it  spied  a  flashing 
diamond  set  in  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and  immediately  pecked 
out  the  stone  and  swallowed  it.  Not  long  after,  the  fowl 
died— not,  however,  because  it  was  poisoned  by  the  dia- 
mond, but  because  it  was  chloroformed  to  insure  the 
speedy  recovery  of  the  stone. 

An  old  English  ballad,  treating  of  the  loves  of  Hind 
Horn  and  Maid  Eimnild,  recounts  that  when  Hind  Horn, 


18 


8 Amos,  "The  Great  Oyer  of  Poisoning,"  London,  1846,  pp.  336 
sqq. 

^Aldrovandi,  "Museum  metallicum,"  Bononi®,  1648,  p.  949. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  157 

who  loved  and  was  beloved  by  the  king's  daughter,  went 
to  sea  to  escape  the  wrath  of  the  king,  the  princess  gave 
him  a  ring  set  with  seven  diamonds.  We  are  told  that 
when  far  from  home : 

One  day  he  looked  his  ring  upon 
He  saw  the  diamond  pale  and  wan. 

Hereupon,  he  hastened  back,  for  the  paleness  of  the 
stone  was  a  sign  the  loved  one  was  unfaithful  to  him. 
On  his  return,  he  succeeded  in  preventing  her  marriage 
to  another,  and  everything  ended  happily.20 

In  a  fourteenth  century  MS.  of  the  Old  English  ro- 
mance upon  which  the  ballad  is  founded,  the  stone  in  the 
ring  is  not  named ;  in  giving  it  Eimnild  says : 21 

Loke  thou  forsake  it  for  no  thing; 

The  ston  it  is  well  trewe. 

When  the  ston  wexeth  wan 

Than  chaungeth  the  thought  of  thi  leman, 

Take  than  a  newe. 
When  the  ston  wexeth  rede, 
Than  have  Y  lorn  mi  maidenhed, 
Oghaines22  the  untrewe. 

In  this  older  form  of  the  tale,  the  stone  either  grows 
pale  or  red  as  a  sign  of  misfortune.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  Epiphanius,  writing  a  thousand  years  earlier, 
states  that  the  adamas  of  the  high-priest  grew  red  as  a 
presage  of  bloodshed  and  defeat  for  the  Jews. 

Eegarding  the  old  fancy  that  a  serpent  could  not  look 

20  Child,  "  The    English    and   Scottish   Popular  Ballads,"  Boston, 
1882-96,  vol.  i,  pp.  187  sqq. 
*  Child,  1.  e. 
12  Against  thee. 


158     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

upon  an  emerald  without  losing  its  sight,  the  Arabian  gem 
dealer,  Ahmed  TeifasM,  in  1242  writes  as  follows : 2S 

After  having  read  in  learned  books  of  this  peculiarity  of  the 
emerald,  I  tested  it  by  my  own  experiment  and  found  the  statements 
exact.  It  chanced  that  I  had  in  my  possession  a  fine  emerald  of  the 
zababi  variety,  and  with  this  I  decided  to  make  the  experiment  on  the 
eyes  of  a  viper.  Therefore,  having  made  a  bargain  with  a  snake- 
charmer  to  procure  me  some  vipers,  as  soon  as  I  received  them  I 
selected  one  and  placed  it  in  a  vessel.  This  being  done,  I  took  a  stick 
of  wood,  attached  to  the  end  a  piece  of  wax,  and  embedded  my 
emerald  in  this.  I  then  brought  the  emerald  near  to  the  viper's  eyes. 
The  reptile  was  strong  and  vigorous,  and  even  raised  its  head  out 
of  the  vessel,  but  as  soon  as  I  approached  the  emerald  to  its  eyes,  I 
heard  a  slight  crepitation  and  saw  that  the  eyes  were  protruding  and 
dissolving  into  a  humor.  After  this  the  viper  was  dazed  and  con- 
fused; I  had  expected  that  it  would  spring  from  the  vessel,  but  it 
moved  uneasily  hither  and  thither,  without  knowing  which  way  to 
turn;  all  its  agility  was  lost,  and  its  restless  movements  soon  ceased. 

Wolfgang  Grabelchover,  in  his  commentary  on  the 
sixth  book  of  the  treatise  "De  Gremmis,"  by  Andrea 
Baccio,  gives  the  following  account  of  a  strange  and 
tragic  experience  in  regard  to  a  ruby : 24 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  true  Oriental  ruby,  by  frequent 
changes  of  color  and  by  growing  obscurity,  announces  to  the  wearer 
some  impending  misfortune  or  calamity;  and  the  obscurity  and 
opacity  is  greater  or  less  according  to  the  extent  of  the  coming  ill- 
fortune.  Alas!  that  what  I  had  often  heard  proclaimed  by  learned 
men,  I  should  myself  experience;  for  as,  on  the  fifth  of  December,  1600, 
I  was  travelling  from  Stuttgart  to  Calw  with  my  beloved  wife  Cath- 
erine Adelmann  of  pious  memory,  I  plainly  observed  in  the  course 
of  the  journey  that  a  very  beautiful  ruby  which  she  had  given  me, 
and  which  I  wore  on  my  hand,  set  in  a  gold  ring,  once  and  again  lost 

2*Ravii,  "Specimen  Arabicum,"  Trajecti  ad  Rhenum,  1784,  pp. 
97,  98. 

34 Andreas  Baccii,  "De  gemmis  et  lapidibus  pretiosis,"  Latin 
trans,  by  Wolfgang  Gabelchover,  Francofurti,  1603,  pp.  63,  64. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  159 

its  splendid  coloring  and  became  obscure,  changing  its  brightness  for 
a  dark  hue.  This  dark  hue  continued  not  for  one  or  two  days  onlyr 
but  so  long  that  I  was  greatly  terrified,  and,  removing  the  ring  from 
my  finger,  concealed  it  in  a  case.  Wherefore,  I  repeatedly  warned  my 
wife  that  some  great  calamity  was  impending  either  for  her  or  for 
myself,  the  which  I  inferred  from  the  change  and  variation  of  the 
ruby.  Nor  was  I  deceived,  for  within  a  few  days  she  was  seized  with 
a  dangerous  illness,  which  resulted  in  her  death. 

A  story  explaining  one  at  least  of  these  supposedly 
ominons  changes  of  color  in  precious  stones,  is  given  by 
Johann  Jacob  Spener,  who  states  that  it  was  told  him 
by  a  trustworthy  informant : 25 

There  was  a  jeweller,  expert,  prudent,  and  rich,  three  essential 
qualities  in  a  jeweller.  One  day,  after  having  washed  his  hands,  this 
man  sat  at  a  table,  when,  glancing  at  a  ruby  ring  he  wore  on  his 
finger,  he  remarked  that  the  stone,  which  usually  delighted  the  eye 
with  its  splendor,  had  lost  its  brilliancy  and  become  dull.  Since  he 
believed  what  others  had  related  to  him,  he  was  firmly  persuaded  that 
some  misfortune  threatened  him,  and,  having  removed  the  ring  from 
his  finger,  he  placed  it  in  its  case.  A  fortnight  later,  one  of  this  man's 
sons  died  of  varioloid.  Reminded  by  this  event  of  the  phenomenon 
observed  in  the  ruby,  the  jeweller  took  it  from  the  case  and  found, 
on  examination,  that  it  had  regained  its  pristine  brilliancy.  This  fact 
confirmed  him  in  his  belief  in  the  ominous  quality  of  the  stone.  Once 
more,  shortly  after  washing  his  hands,  he  remarked  anew  that  the 
splendor  of  the  ruby  was  dimmed,  and  he  again  fell  a  prey  to  anxiety, 
lest  some  fresh  misfortune  was  impending.  Since,  however,  his  ap- 
prehensions proved  vain  and  no  untoward  event  happened,  he  inves- 
tigated the  matter  carefully,  and  discovered  that  the  obscuration  of 
the  color  was  due  to  a  drop  of  water  which  had  penetrated  between 
the  ruby  and  the  foil,  as  the  jewellers  call  it,  and  that  the  former 
brilliancy  returned  when  the  water  had  evaporated. 

The  ominous  character  of  the  onyx  is  especially  noted 
in  Arabic  tradition,  as  is  shown  by  the  Arabic  name  for 
the  stone,  el  jaza,  "sadness."  The  following  passage 

33 "  De  gernmis  errores  vulgares,"  Lipsise,  1688,  sect,  ii,  §12. 


160    THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PKECIOUS  STONES 

from  pseudo-Aristotle  offers  an  illustration  of  the 
strength  of  this  prejudice  against  the  onyx,  which  was 
said  to  come  from  China  and  the  Magreb : 26 

Those  who  are  in  the  land  of  China  fear  this  stone  so  much  that 
they  dread  to  go  into  the  mines  where  it  occurs;  hence  none  but  slaves 
and  menials,  who  have  no  other  means  of  gaining  a  livelihood,  take 
the  stone  from  the  mines.  When  it  has  been  extracted,  it  is  carried 
out  of  the  country  and  sold  in  other  lands.  Those  men  of  the  Magreb 
also  who  are  gifted  with  any  wisdom  will  not  wear  an  onyx  or  place 
it  in  their  treasuries.  Indeed,  no  one  is  willing  to  wear  it,  unless  he  be 
bereft  of  his  senses;  for  whosoever  wears  it,  either  set  in  a  ring  or  in 
any  other  way,  will  have  fearful  dreams  and  be  tormented  by  a  multi- 
tude of  doubts  and  apprehensions;  he  will  also  have  many  disputes 
and  lawsuits.  Lastly,  whoever  keeps  an  onyx  in  his  house,  or  places 
it  in  a  vessel,  or  puts  it  in  food  or  drink,  will  suffer  loss  of  energy  and 
capacity. 

An  ominous  character  was  attributed  to  the  red  coral, 
especially  the  more  highly  colored  varieties.  If  worn  so 
that  the  substance  came  in  direct  contact  with  the  skin, 
it  was  asserted  that  the  color  would  pale,  the  coral  also 
losing  its  brightness  if  the  wearer  became  ill,  or  even  if 
he  were  only  threatened  with  severe  illness.  The  same 
effect  was  said  to  be  induced  if  some  deadly  poison  had 
been  taken.  Cardano  writes  that  he  more  than  once 
observed  this  phenomenon,  and  he  thinks  that  in  these 
cases,  where  the  wearer  was  not  yet  attacked  by  disease, 
its  threatening  "vapor,"  though  not  strong  enough  to 
provoke  decided  symptoms  in  the  human  body,  was  suf- 
ficiently powerful  to  offset  the  more  delicate  and  subtle 
essence  of  the  mineral  substance.  Of  course,  for  us  the 
mineral  would  be  much  less  sensitive  than  flesh  and  blood, 
but  the  sixteenth  century  writers,  and  to  a  still  greater 

28  Rose,  Aristoteles  De  lapidibus  and  Arnoldus  Saxa,  Zeitschr.  f iir 
D.  Alt.,  New  Series,  vol.  vi,  1875,  pp.  360,  361. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  161 

degree  those  of  an  earlier  time,  attributed  to  stones  not 
only  life  in  a  general  way,  but  old  age,  disease,  and  death, 
in  a  very  positive  sense.27 

Eabbinical  tradition  tells  of  a  wonderful  luminous 
stone  placed  by  Noah  in  the  Ark.  This  stone  shone  more 
brilliantly  by  day  than  by  night,  and  served  to  distinguish 
the  day  from  the  night  when,  during  the  flood,  neither 
sun  nor  moon  could  be  seen.28  According  to  another 
Jewish  legend,  Abraham  is  said  to  have  built  a  city  for 
the  six  sons  Hagar  bore  to  him.  The  wall  with  which 
this  city  was  surrounded  was  so  lofty  that  the  light  of  the 
sun  was  cut  off,  and  to  offset  this  Abraham  gave  to  his 
sons  enormous  precious  stones  and  pearls.  These  ex- 
ceeded the  sun  in  brightness,  and  will  be  used  in  the  time 
of  the  Messiah.20 

^Elian  relates  the  following  tale  of  a  luminous  stone. 
A  woman  of  Tarentum,  named  Heracleis,  who  was  a 
pattern  of  the  domestic  virtues,  lost  her  husband  and 
mourned  sincerely  for  him.  Her  grief  made  her  com- 
passionate, for  when  a  young  stork  just  learning  to  fly 
lost  its  strength  and  fell  to  the  ground  before  her,  Her- 
acleis picked  up  the  helpless  bird  and  tended  it  carefully 
until  its  strength  returned  and  it  was  able  to  fly  away. 
A  year  later,  when  the  woman  was  outside  the  house  en- 
joying the  bright  warm  sunshine,  she  saw  a  stork  flying 
toward  her.  As  the  bird  passed  over  her  head,  it  let 
fall  a  precious  stone  into  her  lap.  Heracleis  took  the 

aT  Cardani,  "  De  subtilitate,"  Basileae,  1554,  lib.  vii,  pp.  191,  205. 

^Ginsburg,  "Legends  of  the  Jews,"  Eng.  trans.,  Phila.,  1909, 
vol.  i,  p.  162.  See  also  Levy,  "Dictionary  of  the  Targumim/'  etc., 
New  York  and  London,  1903,  vol.  ii,  p.  836,  s.  v.  rrtonp-  Pirke  d'R. 
EL,  eh.  xxiii. 

*  Ginsburg,  1.  c.,  p.  298. 


11 


162     THE  CURIOUS  LOKE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

stone  with  her  into  the  house,  feeling  by  an  infallible  in- 
stinct that  the  stork  which  had  dropped  it  was  the  one  she 
had  cared  for  in  the  previous  year.  During  the  night  she 
woke  up,  and  was  astonished  to  see  that  the  room  was 
lighted  up  as  though  by  many  torches,  the  radiance  pro- 
ceeding from  the  stone  bestowed  by  the  stork  as  a  proof 
of  its  gratitude.30 

In  German,  the  stone  called  Donnerkett  (thunderbolt) 
has  several  synonyms;  among  these  is  Storchstein 
("stork-stone")-  I*  *s  evident  that  the  stone  of  Heracleis 
was  identical  with  the  precious  and  brilliant  variety  of 
ceramics  mentioned  by  Pliny,  "  which  drew  to  themselves 
the  radiance  of  the  stars."  The  flashing  and  ruddy  light 
of  the  ruby  suggested  an  igneous  origin,  and  induced  the 
belief  that  rubies  were  generated  by  a  fire  from  heaven, — 
in  other  words,  by  the  lightning  flash.31 

The  analogy  between  the  flame  of  a  lamp  or  the  glow 
of  a  burning  coal  and  the  radiance  of  a  ruby,  suggested 
some  of  the  names  given  to  this  stone,  or  those  resembling 
it  in  color,  as,  for  instance,  the  Greek  anthrax  and  the 
Latin  carbunculus  and  lychnis.  Probably  the  fancy  that 
such  stones  were  luminous  in  the  dark  was  nothing  more 
than  the  logical  result  of  the  quasi-identification  of  them 
with  fire  in  some  of  its  manifestations.  Still,  it  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  some  stones  possess  a  high  degree  of 
phosphorescence.  This  circumstance  must  have  been 
observed  by  chance,  and  may  have  had  something  to  do 
with  the  legends  of  luminous  stones,  although  this  pecu- 
liarity is  not  characteristic  of  the  ruby. 

According  to  Pliny,  the  lychnis,  perhaps  a  spinel,  was 

^Claudii  2Eliani,  "De  animalium  natura,"  lib.  viii,  cap.  22,  ed. 
Gesner,  Tiguri,  1568,  pp.  182,  183. 

31  Grimm,  "  Worterbuch,"  vol.  ii,  col.  1244. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  163 

so  called  a  lucernarum  accensu  (from  the  lighting,  or  the 
light,  of  lamps ) .  The  author  of  the  poem '  * Lithica ' '  says 
that  the  diamond  (adamas),  like  the  crystal,  when  placed 
on  an  altar,  sent  forth  a  flame  without  the  aid  of  fire,32 
If  this  did  not  refer  to  the  use  of  rock-crystal  as  a  burn- 
ing-glass, we  might  see  in  the  passage  an  indication  that 
the  phosphorescence  of  the  diamond  had  already  been 
noted  before  the  second  or  third  century  of  our  era. 

From  the  Lydian  river  Tmolus  a  marvellous  stone  was 
taken  which  was  said  to  change  color  four  times  a  day. 
This  surpasses  the  properties  of  the  "saphire  mervei 
leux"  which  changed  its  hue  at  night.  Only  innocent 
young  girls  could  find  the  Lydian  stone,  and  while  they 
wore  it  they  were  defended  from  outrage.33  Is  it  possible 
that  the  ancient  writer  intended  to  hint  at  the  proverbial 
fickleness  of  woman,  when  stating  that  this  changeable 
stone  could  only  be  discovered  by  one  of  the  fair  sex? 

The  temple  of  the  Syrian  goddess  Astarte  contained 
an  image  of  this  divinity  crowned  with  a  diadem  in  which 
was  set  a  luminous  stone.  Such  was  the  splendor  of  the 
light  emitted  by  this  gem  that  the  whole  sanctuary  was 
lighted  up  as  though  with  a  myriad  of  lamps.  Indeed, 
the  stone  itself  bore  the  name  tychnos  ("lamp").  In  the 
daytime  this  light  was  fainter,  but  was  still  very  notice- 
able, a,s  a  fiery  glow.34 

Two  fabulous  stones  are  noted  by  pseudo-Aris- 
totle, and  one  of  these,  the  "sleeping-stone,"  must  have 
possessed  marvellous  soporific  power.  It  was  a  luminous 
stone  of  a  bright  ruddy  hue,  and  shone  in  the  darkness 
with  a  bright  light.  If  a  small  quantity  of  this  stone  were 

32  "Lithiea,"  line  270. 

wDe  Mely,  "La  traite  des  fleuves  de  Plutarche/3  in  Eevue  des 
fitudes  Greeques,  vol.  v  (1892),  p.  331. 
"Lueiani,  "De  Syria  dea,"  cap.  32. 


164     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PKECIOUS  STONES 

hung  about  a  person's  neck,  he  would  sleep  uninterrupt- 
edly for  three  days  and  nights,  and,  when  awakened  on 
the  fourth  day,  he  would  still  be  almost  overcome  by  sleep. 
The  other  stone,  of  a  greenish  hue,  had  the  opposite 
quality  and  induced  prolonged  wakefulness;  so  long  as 
it  was  worn,  sleep  was  banished.  Our  author  gravely 
states  that  "some  men  who  must  watch  at  night  suffer 
greatly  from  lack  of  sleep."  If,  however,  they  wore  the 
"waking-stone,77  they  suffered  no  inconvenience  from 
their  enforced  vigils.35  Evidently  this  stone  would  be  a 
precious  possession  for  night-watchmen,  and  a  more 
satisfactory  guarantee  for  their  employers  than  "time- 
clocks73  or  other  tests  of  wakefulness. 

In  his  commentary  on  Marbodus,  Alardus  of  Amster- 
dam relates  the  history  of  a  wonderful  luminous  stone,  a 
"chrysolampis,"  which,  with  many  other  precious  stones, 
was  set  in  a  marvellous  golden  tablet  dedicated  to  St. 
Adelbert,  apostle  of  the  Frisians  and  patron  of  the  town 
of  Egmund  (d.  720-730) ,  by  Hildegard,  wife  of  Theodoric, 
Count  of  Holland.  The  gift  was  made  to  the  Abbey  of 
Egmund,  where  the  saint's  body  reposed.  Alardus  tells 
us  that  the  "chrysolampis"  shone  so  brightly  that  when 
the  monks  were  called  to  the  chapel  in  the  night-time, 
they  could  read  the  Hours  without  any  other  light.  This 
wonderful  stone  was  stolen  by  one  of  the  monks,  whom 
Alardus  terms  "the  most  rapacious  creature  who  ever 
went  on  two  legs" ;  but,  fearing  to  keep  so  valuable  a  gem 
with  him,  he  cast  it  into  the  sea  and  it  was  never  recov- 
ered.36 

85  Rose,  "Aristoteles  de  lapidibtis  und  Arnoldus  Saxo,"  Zeitsehr. 
fur  D.  Alt.,  New  Series,  vol.  vi,  1875,  pp.  375,  376. 

30  The  abbey  to  which  Hildegard  gave  the  tablet  was  probably  that 
built  by  Theodoric  II  and  destroyed  by  the  Reformers  in  1572.  The 
first  building  was  of  wood  and  was  erected  by  Theodoric  I  in  923  or 
924;  this  was  ravaged  by  the  Frisians  not  many  years  later. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  165 

Strange  tales  were  told  of  a  luminous  "carbuncle" 
on  the  shrine  of  St.  Eliza-beth  (d.  1231)  at  Marburg.  This 
stone  was  set  above  the  statuette  of  the  Virgin,  and  it  was 
said  to  emit  fiery  rays  at  night  However,  Creuzer  in- 
forms us  that  it  was  only  a  very  brilliant  rock  crystal 
of  a  yellowish-white  hue.  The  shrine  was  an  elaborate 
work  of  art  in  silver  gilt,  and  was  literally  covered  with 
precious  stones  to  the  number  of  824,  besides  two  large 
pearls  and  a  great  many  smaller  ones.  All  these  gems 
were  stripped  from  their  settings  when  the  shrine  was 
taken  from  Marburg  to  Cassel  in  1810.37 

At  the  Dusseldorf  Exhibition  of  1891,  the  writer  saw 
what  was  called  "The  Eing  of  St.  Elizabeth, "  purport- 
ing to  be  set  with  her  miraculously  luminous  ruby.  The 
stone  in  the  setting  proved,  however,  to  be  a  large  almost 
flat  carbuncle  garnet  of  no  great  brilliancy,  set  in  a 
narrow  rim  of  gold. 

After  noting  the  reports  of  medieval  travellers  re- 
garding the  wonderful  luminous  rubies  of  the  sovereigns 
of  Pegu  and  repeating  the  tale  that  the  night  was  illu- 
mined by  their  splendor,  Cleandro  Arnobio  adds  that  it 
did  not  appear  that  any  such  rubies  were  to  be  found  in 
his  day.  Nevertheless,  he  had  heard  from  an  ecclesiastic 
of  a  certain  jewel  that  shone  brightly  at  night.  This 
stone,  however,  was  not  a  ruby,  but  was  of  a  pale  citron 
hue,  and  hence  Arnobio  inclines  to  believe  that  it  was 
either  a  topaz  or  a  yellow  diamond.38  This  probably 
refers  to  the  Marburg  "carbuncle." 

The  luminous  "ruby7'  of  the  King  of  Ceylon  is  noted 
by  Chau  Ju-Kua,89  a  Chinese  writer  of  about  the  middle 

87  Creiizer,  "  Antik  gesehnittene  Steine  vom  Grabmahl  der  heil- 
igen  Elizabeth,"  Leipsie  and  Darmstadt,  1834,  pp.  25,  26. 

M  Arnobio,  "  II  tesoro  delle  gioie,"  Venice,  1602,  p.  34. 

39  See  the  English  translation  of  his  "  Chu-f  an-ehi,"  by  Friedrieh 
Hirth  and  W.  W,  Roekhill,  St  Petersburg,  1911,  p.  72. 


166     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

of  the  thirteenth  century  and  hence  a  contemporary  of 
the  Arab  Teifashi.  He  says:  "The  king  holds  in  his 
hand  a  jewel  five  inches  in  diameter,  which  cannot  be 
burned  by  fire,  and  which  shines  in  the  night  like  a 
torch."  This  gigantic  luminous  gem  was  also  believed 
to  possess  the  virtues  of  an  elixir  of  youth,  for  we  are 
told  that  the  king  rubbed  his  face  with  it  daily  and  by  this 
means  would  retain  his  youthful  looks  even  should  he 
live  more  than  ninety  years. 

The  glories  of  Emperor  ManuePs  (ca.  1120-1180) 
throne  are  celebrated  by  the  Hebrew  traveller  Benjamin 
of  Tudela,  who  visited  Constantinople  in  1161  A.D.  This 
splendid  throne  was  of  gold  studded  with  precious  stones 
and,  suspended  from  the  canopy  by  gold  chains,  hung  a 
magnificent  golden  crown  set  with  jewels  of  incalculable 
value  and  so  bright  and  sparkling  that  their  glitter  ren- 
dered needless  any  other  illumination  at  night.40 

When  Henry  II  of  France  (1519-1559)  made  his 
solemn  entry  into  the  city  of  Boulogne,  a  stranger  from 
India  presented  to  the  sovereign  a  luminous  stone.  It 
was  rather  soft,  had  a  fiery  brilliance,  and  could  not  be 
touched  with  impunity.  According  to  De  Thou,  this  story 
was  vouched  for  by  J.  Pipin,  who  saw  the  stone  himself 
and  described  it  in  a  letter  to  Antoine  Mizauld,  a  writer 
on  occult  themes,  well  known  in  his  day.41 

Although  Garcias  ab  Orta  did  not  believe  in  the  tales 
current  in  his  time  regarding  luminous  rubies,  he  relates 
a  story  of  such  a  stone  told  to  him  by  a  gem-dealer.  This 
man  stated  that  he  had  purchased  a  number  of  fine  but 

40 "  Die  Reisebesehreibung  des  R.  Benjamin  von  Tudela,"  ed.  by  L. 
GriixJmt  and  Marcus  JSF.  Adler,  Jerusalem,  1903,  pt.  ii,  trans.,  p.  17. 

41  Beckmann,  "History  of  Inventions/'  English  trans.,  London, 
1846,  vol.  ii,  p.  433. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  167 

small  rubies  from  Ceylon,  and  had  spread  them  out  over 
a  table.  When  he  gathered  them  up  again,  one  of  the 
stones  remained  hidden  in  a  fold  of  the  table-cloth.  In 
the  night  he  remarked  something  like  a  flame  emanating 
from  the  table.  Lighting  a  candle,  he  approached  the 
table  and  found  there  the  small  ruby;  when  this  was 
removed  and  the  candle  extinguished,  the  light  was  no 
longer  visible.  Q-arcias  admits  that  the  gem-dealers  were 
fond  of  telling  good  stories,  but  he  concludes  with  the 
dictum, '  *  we  must  trust  in  them  nevertheless. 7  ?  42 

Not  only  the  ruby,  but  the  emerald  also  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  a  luminous  stone,  for,  besides  the  shining 
"emerald"  pillar  in  the  temple  of  Melkart  at  Tyre,  Pliny 
records  the  tale  of  a  marble  lion,  with  eyes  of  gleaming 
emeralds,  which  was  set  over  the  tomb  of  "a  petty  king 
called  Hermias."  This  tomb  was  on  the  coast,  and  the 
flashing  light  from  the  emerald  eyes  frightened  away 
the  tunny-fish,  to  the  great  loss  of  the  fishermen.43 
Whether  the  eyes  of  the  magnificent  chryselephantine 
statue  of  Athene  by  Phidias  were  supposed  to  be  luminous 
we  do  not  know,  but  they  were  incrusted  with  precious 
stones.44 

The  collection  of  works  by  the  English  alchemists, 
published  by  Elias  Ashmole,  contains  the  tale  of  a  worthy 
parson  who  lived  in  a  little  town  near  London,  and  who 
wished  to  immortalize  himself  by  building  across  the 
Thames  a  bridge  which  would  always  be  lighted  at  night. 
After  relating  several  expedients  which  suggested  them- 
selves to  him,  the  poet  continues: 

42  Garcias    ab    Orta,    "  Aromatum    bistoria "     (Lat.    version    by 
Clusius),  Antverpiae,  1579,  lib.  i,  p.  174. 

43  Plinii,  "  Naturalis  bistoria,"  lib,  xxxvii,  cap.  17. 

**  Platonis,  "  Hippias  major/'  ed.  Didot,  vol.  i,  p.  745. 


168     THE  CURIOUS  LOftE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

At  the  laste  he  thought  to  make  the  light, 
For  the  Bridge  to  shine  by  nighte, 
With  Carbuncle  Stones,  to  make  men  wonder, 
With  double  reflexion  above  and  under: 
Then  new  thought  troubled  his  Minde 
Carbuncle  Stones  how  he  might  finde; 

And  where  to  find  wise  men  and  trewe, 
Which  would  for  his  interest  pursue, 
In  seeking  all  the  Worlde  about, 
Plenty  of  Carbuncles  to  find  out; 
For  this  he  took  so  mickle  thought, 
That  his  satt  flesh  wasted  nigh  to  naught.45 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  the  poor  parson 
never  realized  his  dream,  but  the  story  shows  how  pop- 
ular was  the  belief  that  carbuncles  or  rubies  shone  with 
their  own  light. 

A  luminous  or  phosphorescent  stone,  which  has  been 
named  the  Bologna  .stone,  is  the  subject  of  a  treatise  pub- 
lished by  the  physician  Mentzel  in  1675.46  The  writer 
describes  various  experiments  made  to  test  the  peculiar 
qualities  of  this  mineral,  which  is  partly  a  radiated  or 
crystalline  sulphate  of  barytes,  and  phosphoresces  when 
calcined.  It  was  sometimes  called  the  "lunar  stone " 
(lapis  lunaris),  because,  like  the  moon,  it  gave  out  in  the 
darkness  the  light  it  received  from  the  sun.  Mentzel  also 
relates  that  the  stone  was  first  discovered,  in  1604,  by 
Vineenzio  Casscioroli,  an  adept  in  alchemy,  who  believed 
that  it  would  be  a  great  aid  in  the  transmutation  of  the 
baser  metals  into  gold,  on  account  of  its  solar  quality. 
The  place  of  its  occurrence  was  Monte  Paterno,  near 

"Norton's  "Ordinall";  in  Ashmole  "  Theatrum  Chemieum  Brit- 
annicum,"  London,  1652,  p.  27. 

"Christiani  Mentzelli,   "Lapis   Bononensis,"  Bilefeldise,   1675. 


1.  Self-print  of  upper  diamond  of  No.  4  by  phosphorescence,  produced  "by  rubbing  briskly  with 
stick  covered  by  woolen  cloth.    Exposure  one-half  minute. 

2.  Self-print,  both  diamonds,  after  one  minute's  exposure  to  ultra-violet  light,  electric  action 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  169 

Bologna,  where  it  appeared  in  the  fissures  of  the  moun- 
tain, after  torrential  rains. 

The  various  phenomena  of  fluorescence  and  phospho- 
rescence undoubtedly  explain  some  at  least  of  the  legends 

SPECIMEN 

GEMMARVM 

ORIGINE 


IN   QfO 

Proponuntur  &  hiftoricc  ttlufoairair  quscdam  Canje&urz  circft 

confiftcntiam  raaterix  Lapidum  Prettoforttniy  &  fubjc&a,  ia 

^uibus  corum  prxcipua:  virtutcs  con/iilunre 

^S  Honorati/tmo 

ROBERTO  BOY-LE 

NOBILI  ANGLO,  e  SOCIETATB  REGIA, 


S.AMVELEM  DE  TQVRNES, 


TITLE  PAGE  OF  ROBERT  BOYLE'S  WORK  ON  THE  ORIGIN 

AND  VIRTUES  OF  GEMS. 

Printed  in  Cologne  in  1680. 

regarding  luminous  stones,  superstition  or  fantasy  hav- 
ing here  as  in  most  other  cases  a  certain  substratum 
of  fact.  Tliis  class  of  physical  phenomena  has  been  made 
the  subject  of  special  investigation  by  the  author,  as 
many  as  13,000  specimens  of  various  minerals  having 


170     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

been  subjected  to  the  most  searching  tests  in  order  to 
determine  their  qualities  in  this  respect47  His  interest 
in  this  field  of  research  was  greatly  stimulated  by  a 
fortnitons  happening.  In  1891  his  wife,  while  hanging 
Up  a  gown  in  a  closet  one  evening,  saw  that  the  diamond 
in  a  ring  she  was  wearing  gave  off  a  faint  streak  of  light 
which  was  very  noticeable  in  the  dark?  and  this  fact  led 
to  a  long  series  of  experiments  on  the  fluorescence,  phos- 
phorescence, and  triboluminescence  of  the  diamond.48 
More  than  two  centuries  before,  Robert  Boyle  made  a 
similar  set  of  experiments  at  night  with  a  diamond  which 
must  have  been  an  Indian  stone,  and  which  he  describes 
as  table  cut,  about  one-third  of  an  inch  long  and  somewhat 
less  in  width ;  he  remarks  that  it  was  a  dull  stone  of  very 
bad  water,  having  a  blemish  with  a  whitish  cloud  cover- 
ing nearly  a  third  of  the  stone.49 

The  "  Journal  des  Sea  vans"  for  1739  gives  certain 
tests  of  the  luminous  quality  of  diamonds  made  by  Mons. 
Du  Fay.  In  order  successfully  to  observe  this  phenome- 
non, he  prescribes  that  the  experimenter  shall  remain  in 
a  darkened  room  for  fifteen  minutes,  taking  the  additional 
precaution  of  closing  one  or  both  of  his  eyes.  The  dia- 
mond to  be  tested  should  be  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays,  or 
to  strong  daylight,  for  less  than  a  minute,  and  when  taken 
into  darkness  the  luminosity,  if  observable,  lasts  twelve 

47  See  Kunz,  "  The  Phosphorescence  of  the  Diamond/7  Trans.  1SL  Y. 
Academy  of  Sciences,  vol.  x,  p.  50,  1890-91;  Kunz  and  Baskerville, 
"The  Action  of  Kadium,  Actinium,  Roentgen  rays,  and  Ultra  Violet 
Light  in  Minerals  ,-and  Gems/'  Science,  vol.  xviii,  No.  468,  pp.  769-783, 
December  18,  1903. 

48  See  page  172. 

48 Boyle,  "Works/7  London,  1744,  vol.  ii,  p.  85.  The  experiments 
were  made  October  27,  1663,  and  the  results  were  communicated  to  the 
Eoyal  Society  the  next  day,  the  diamond  which  had  been  used  being 
shown  to  the  members  at  that  time. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  171 

or  thirteen  minutes  at  longest.  Not  all  diamonds  show 
this  quality,  and  nothing  in  their  form  or  appearance 
serves  to  determine  their  possession  of  it.  However, 
Mons.  du  Fay  observed  that  the  yellow  diamonds,  of 
which  he  tried  a  considerable  number,  were  luminous. 
A  single  emerald,  out  of  twenty  that  were  tested,  proved 
to  be  luminous.50 

Boyle's  experiments  led  to  the  discovery  that  some 
diamonds,  when  rubbed  against  wood  or  other  hard  sub- 
stances, and  even  against  cloth  or  silk,  will  emit  a  ray  of 
light  which  seems  to  follow  them;  this  is  what  is  called 
triboluminescence. 

The  power  of  absorbing  sunlight  or  artificial  light 
and  then  giving  it  off  in  the  dark  is  only  possessed  by 
certain  diamonds*  These  are  Brazilian  stones,  slightly 
milky  in  tint,  or  blue-white  as  they  are  often  termed,  and 
it  is  an  included  substance  and  not  the  diamond  itself 
that  possesses  the  power  of  storing  up  light  and  then 
giving  it  out.  Willemite,  kunzite,  sphalerite  (sulphide 
of  zinc)  and  some  other  minerals  possess  the  same  power. 
Their  peculiar  property  may  be  due  to  the  presence  of  a 
slight  quantity  of  manganese  or  to  that  of  some  of  the 
uranium  salts.  That  it  is  only  the  ultra-violet  rays  that 
are  thus  absorbed  by  these  diamonds  is  proved  by  the 
fact  that  the  phenomenon  is  not  observable  when  a  thin 
plate  of  glass  is  interposed  between  the  sunlight  or 
artificial  light  and  the  diamond,  as  glass  is  not  traversed 
by  these  rays.  The  still  undetermined  substance  to 
whose  presence  in  diamonds  of  this  type  the  special  class 
of  phenomena  must  be  due,  was  named  by  the  author 

00  "Journal  des  S§avans,"  1739,  pp.  438,  439,  of  Amsterdam  edi- 
tion, citing  "  Hist,  de  FAcad.  Boy.  des  Sciences,"  1735  (vol.  xxxviii). 


172     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

tiffanyite,  in  honor  of  the  late  Charles  L.  Tiffany  (1812- 
1902) ,  founder  of  the  firm  of  Tiffany  &  Company.51 

On  the  other  hand  all  diamonds  phosphoresce  when 
exposed  to  the  rays  of  radium,  polonium,  or  actinium, 
even  when  glass  is  interposed.  Treating  of  some  of  the 
aspects  of  phosphorescence  in  diamonds,  Sir  William 
Crookes  says : 52 

In  a  vacuum,  exposed  to  a  high-tension  current  of  electricity,  dia- 
monds phosphoresce  of  different  colours,  most  South  African  diamonds 
shining  with  a  bluish  light.  Diamonds  from  other  localities  emit  bright 
blue,  apricot,  pale  blue,  red,  yellowish-green,  orange,  and  pale  green  light. 
The  most  phosphorescent  diamonds  are  those  which  are  fluorescent  in  the 
sun.  One  beautiful  green  diamond  in  my  collection,  when  phospho- 
rescing in  a  good  vacuum,  gives  almost  as  much  light  as  a  candle,  and  you 
can  easily  read  by  its  rays.  But  the  time  has  hardly  come  when  diamonds 
can  be  used  as  domestic  ilium  in  ants ! 

By  permission  of  Mrs.  Kunz,  wife  of  the  well-known  New  York 
mineralogist,  I  will  show  you  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  of  all 
phosphorescing  diamonds.  This  prodigy  diamond  will  phosphoresce  in 
the  dark  for  some  minutes  after  being  exposed  to  a  small  pocket 
electric  light,  and  if  rubbed  on  a  piece  of  cloth  a  long  streak  of 
phosphorescence  appears. 

The  luminescence  produced  by  heat  is  wonderfully 
marked  in  the  case  of  chlorophane,  a  variety  of  fluorite. 
A  Siberian  specimen  of  a  pale  violet  color  emitted  a  white 
light  merely  from  the  heat  of  the  hand;  boiling  water 
caused  it  to  give  out  a  green  light,  which  was  so  greatly 
intensified  when  the  specimen  rested  on  a  live  coal  that 
the  radiance  could  be  discerned  from  a  considerable  dis- 
tance. Similar  phenomena  were  observable  in  the  case 

51  See  Transactions  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Sciences,  vol. 
xiv,  p.  260;  1895. 

""Diamonds,"  a  lecture  delivered  before  the  British  Associa- 
tion at  Kimberley,  Sept.  5, 1905;  London,  1905,  p.  37,  See  also  the  same 
author's  "Diamonds,"  London  and  New  York,  1909,  pp.  96-101, 


ROCK-CRYSTAL  BALL  PENETRATED  BY  CRYSTALS  OF  RUTILE.    MADAGASCAR, 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES  173 

of  chlorophane  from  Amelia  Court  House,  Va.,  and  the 
writer  found  that  specimens  from  this  source  also  exhib- 
ited strong  triboluminescence,  resulting  either  from  coa- 
tact  with  one  another,  or  with  any  hard  substance.53 

As  the  terms  fluorescence  and  phosphorescence  are 
sometimes  rather  carelessly  employed,  it  may  be  well  to 
note  here  that  while  both  terms  are  used  to  denote  the 
luminescence  of  a  non-luminous  body  resulting  from  the 
action  of  light  rays,  of  the  electric  current,  or  of  radiant 
energy  of  any  kind,  as  well  as  from  heat,  fluorescence 
signifies  a  luminosity  which  only  continues  so  long  as  the 
exciting  cause  is  present,  while  phosphorescence  means 
a  luminosity  persisting  for  a  longer  or  shorter  period 
after  the  exciting  cause  has  ceased  to  operate  directly. 
The  latter  term  therefore  denotes  a  luminous  energy 
stored  up  in  the  formerly  non-luminous  body  and  emitted 
by  it  for  a  certain  time,  at  the  expiration  of  which  it 
again  becomes  non-luminous.  Other  special  designations 
of  induced  luminosity  in  minerals  are  triboluminescence, 
the  emission  of  light  as  a  result  of  friction  and  thermo- 
luminescence,  a  term  used  to  denote  light-emission  ex- 
cited by  moderate  heating,  even  by  the  warmth  of  the 
hand. 

An  old  treatise  in  Greek,  said  in  its  title  to  come 
from  "the  sanctuary  of  the  temple,"  and  containing 
material,  partly  of  Egyptian  origin,  may  help  us  to 
understand  something  of  the  processes  employed  by  a 
temple  priest  to  impress  the  common  people  by  the  sight 
of  luminous  gems.  The  writer  of  the  treatise  declares 
that  for  the  production  of  "the  carbuncle  that  shines  in 
the  night"  use  was  made  of  certain  parts  (he  says  "the 

58  Kunz,  "  Gems  and  Precious  Stones  of  North  America,"  New 
York,  1890,  pp.  183, 184. 


174     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

bile")  of  marine  animals  whose  entrails,  scales  and  bones 
exhibited  the  phenomenon  of  phosphorescence.  If  prop- 
erly treated,  precious  stones  (preferably  carbuncles) 
would  glow  so  brightly  at  night  "that  anyone  owning 
such  a  stone  could  read  or  write  by  its  light  as  well  as 
he  could  by  daylight.54 

In  the  Annales  de  Chimie  et  Physique,  the  great 
French  chemist,  M.  Berthelot,  discusses  this  matter  and 
expresses  the  following  opinion : 55 

"  The  texts  leave  no  room  for  doubt  as  to  the  employment  by  the 
ancients  of  precious  stones  rendered  phosphorescent  in  the  dark  by  the 
superficial  application  of  tinctures  composed  of  materials  whose  phos- 
phorescent quality  is  known  to  us.  Although  this  luminescence,  due  to 
an  application  of  organic  oxidizable  materials,  could  not  well  be 
durable,  still  it  might  be  made  to  last  several  hours,  perhaps  several 
days,  and  it  could  always  be  renewed  by  repeating  the  application." 

The  use  of  jewelled  ornaments  to  heighten  by  their 
luminosity  in  obscurity  or  in  darkness  the  effect  produced 
by  a  sacred  image,  and  to  stimulate  religious  awe  in  the 
beholder,  is  testified  to  by  the  ultra-Protestant  traveller, 
'Fynes  Moryson,  G-ent,  who  went  to  Italy  in  1594.  Of 
his  visit  to  the  Santa  Casa  in  Loreto,  he  says  that  he 
himself  and  two  Dutchmen,  his  companions,  were  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  inner  chapel  of  the  sanctuary, 
" where,"  he  proceeds,  "we  did  see  the  Virgin's  picture, 
adorned  with  pretious  Jewels,  and  the  place  (to  increase 
religious  horror)  being  darke,  yet  the  Jewels  shined 
by  the  light  of  wa^:  candles. ' '  Although  there  is  no  ques- 
tion here  of  naturally  luminous  gems,  this  might  have 

°* "  Collection  des  anciens  alehemistes  grecs,"  ed.  by  M.  Berthelot, 
trans.,  p.  336-338;  text  pp.  351,  352,  Paris,  1887, 1888. 

55 "  Sur  un  precede  antique  pour  rendre  les  pierres  precieuses  et  les 
vitrifications  phosphorescentes,"  Annales  de  Chimie  et  Physique,  6th 
ser.,  vol.  xiv,  pp.  429-432. 


OMINOUS  AND  LUMINOUS  STONES 

been  the  impression  produced  upon  a  more  sympathetic 
pilgrim.56 

Writing  of  the  traditions  in  regard  to  luminous  stones, 
Sir  Eichard  F.  Burton  says,  "There  may  be  a  basis  of 
fact  to  this  fancy,  the  abnormal  effect  of  precious  stones 
upon  mesmeric  sensitives.7557  However,  while  some  in- 
stances are  recorded  of  psychic  impression  produced  by 
precious  stones  on  the  minds  of  persons  possessing  a 
highly  sensitive  nervous  system,  it  seems  likely  that 
some  legends  of  luminous  stones  had  their  origin  in  the 
refractive  powers  of  cut  gems,  by  means  of  which  a  dim 
and  distant  light  would  be  reflected  from  the  surface  of 
the  stones  and  would  seem  to  spring  from  them.  Quite 
possibly,  in  other  instances,  there  was  a  disposition  to 
cater  to  the  popular  belief  by  placing  a  light  so  that  the 
hidden  beams  traversed  the  stone  and  appeared  to 
emanate  from  it. 

^Moiyson,  "An  Itinerary  containing  his  Ten  Yeeres  Travell 
through  the  Twelve  Dominions,"  etc.,  Glasgow,  1907-8,  vol.  L  p.  216. 

57  Burton,  "  Supplementary  Nights,"  London,  1886,  vol.  iii,  p.  354, 
note. 


VI 
Crystal  i5aUg  and  Crystal 

have  evidence  of  the  use  of  crystal  balls  as 
means  of  divination  in  medieval  times,  and 
"scrying"  in  some  of  its  many  forms  was  by  no  means 
rare  in  the  Greek  and  Roman  periods.  The  essential 
requisite  for  the  exercise  of  this  species  of  divination  is  a 
polished  surface  of  some  sort  upon  which  the  scryer  shall 
gaze  intently;  for  this  purpose  mirrors,  globules  of  lead  or 
quicksilver,  polished  steel,  the  surface  of  water,  and  even 
pools  of  ink,  have  been  employed  and  have  been  found  to 
insure  quite  as  satisfactory  results  as  the  crystal  ball.  The 
points  of  light  reflected  from  the  polished  surface  (points 
de  repere)  serve  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  gazer 
and  to  fix  the  eye  until,  gradually,  the  optic  nerve  becomes 
so  fatigued  that  it  finally  ceases  to  transmit  to  the  sen- 
sorium  the  impression  made  from  without  and  begins  to 
respond  to  the  reflex  action  proceeding  from  the  brain 
of  the  gazer.  In  this  way  the  impression  received  from 
within  is  apparently  projected  and  seems  to  come  from 
without.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  the  results  must 
vary  according  to  the  idiosyncrasy  of  the  various  scryers ; 
for  everything  depends  upon  the  sensitiveness  of  the 
optic  nerve.  In  many  cases  the  effect  of  prolonged  gaz- 
ing upon  the  brilliant  surface  will  simply  produce  a  loss 
of  sight,  the  optic  nerve  will  be  temporarily  paralyzed 
and  will  as  little  respond  to  stimulation  from  within  as 
from  without;  in  other  cases,  however,  the  nerve  will  be 
only  deadened  as  regards  external  impressions,  while 
retaining  sufficient  activity  to  react  against  a  stimulus 

176 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        177 

from  the  brain  centres.  It  is  almost  invariably  stated 
that,  prior  to  the  appearance  of  the  desired  visions,  the 
crystal  seems  to  disappear  and  a  mist  rises  before  the 
gazer's  eye. 

The  Achaians,  as  Pausanius  relates,  frequently  used 
a  mirror  to  divine  diseases  or  to  learn  whether  there  was 
danger  of  sudden  death.  Of  the  Temple  of  Demeter,  or 
Ceres,  at  Patras,  he  writes : * 

In  front  of  the  temple  of  Demeter  there  is  a  well.  A  stone  wall 
separates  this  well  from  the  temple,  but  steps  lead  down  to  it  from  the 
outside.  Here  there  is  an  infallible  oracle,  although  it  does  not  answer 
all  questions,  but  only  those  touching  diseases.  They  attach  a  slender 
cord  to  a  mirror  and  let  it  down  into  the  well,  balancing  it  carefully 
so  that  the  water  does  not  cover  the  face,  but  only  touches  the  rim. 
Then,  after  making  a  prayer  to  the  goddess  and  burning  incense  to 
her,  they  look  into  the  mirror,  and  it  shows  whether  the  sick  person 
will  die  or  recover.  Such  is  the  power  of  truth  in  this  water. 

This  sacred  well  with  its  oracle  of  the  magic  mirror 
must  have  been  in  Lucian's  mind  when,  in  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  palace  of  the  Moon-King,  he  says : 2 

Another  wonderful  thing  I  saw  in  the  palace.  Suspended  over  a 
rather  shallow  well  there  is  a  large  mirror,  and  anyone  who  goes  down 
into  this  well  will  hear  every  word  that  is  spoken  on  earth,  while,  if 
he  gazes  on  the  mirror,  he  will  see  there  every  city  and  every  nation 
just  as  clearly  as  though  he  were  looking  down  upon  them  from  a  slight 
elevation.  At  the  time  I  was  there,  I  saw  my  native  country  and  its 
inhabitants.  Whether  I  myself  was  seen  by  them  in  turn,  I  am  not  sure. 

Lucian  adds,  with  a  fine  touch  of  irony,  ''Anyone  who 
doubts  this  assertion  needs  only  to  go  there  himself  and 
he  will  find  out  that  I  speak  the  truth.77  As  no  one  has 

1  Pausanise,  "Descriptio  Grsecise,"  ed.  Scmibart,  vol.  ii,  Lipsise,  1883, 
pp.  54,  55,  lib.  ii,  cap,  21,  12. 

3  Lueiani,  "  Vera  Historia,"  lib.  i,  26. 
12 


178     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

yet  made  a  trip  to  the  moon,  the  assertion  is  still  uncon- 
tradicted. 

In  their  religious  legends  the  ancient  Mexicans  taught 
that  their  god  Tezcatlipuco  had  a  magic  mirror  in  which 
he  saw  everything  that  happened  in  the  world.3  He  was 
sometimes  named  Necocyautl,  " sower  of  discord,"  be- 
cause he  often  stirred  up  war  and  strife  among  men,  but 
he  was  also  lord  of  riches  and  prosperity,  which  he 
bestowed  and  took  away  again  at  his  will.  To  the  in- 
fluence of  this  divinity  were  attributed  many  omens 
and  certain  strange  visions,  announced  by  repeated 
knockings.4 

In  the  Orphic  poem  "Lithica,"  a  magic  sphere  of 
stone  is  described.  The  substance  is  called  "sideritis" 
or  "ophitis,"  and  is  said  to  be  black,  round,  and  heavy; 
possibly  some  metal,  rather  than  a  stone,  is  designated 
by  these  names.  Helenus,  the  Trojan  soothsayer,  is  said 
to  have  used  this  sphere  to  foretell  the  downfall  of  his 
native  city.  He  fasted  for  twenty-one  days  and  then 
wrapped  the  sphere  in  soft  garments,  like  an  infant,  and 
offered  sacrifices  to  it  until,  by  the  magic  of  his  prayers, 
"a  living  soul  warmed  the  precious  substance. " 

A  strange  variety  of  divination  by  means  of  mirrors 
placed  on  the  heads  of  boys,  who,  with  eyes  blindfolded, 
were  supposed  to  perceive  forms  or  signs  of  some  de- 
scription in  the  mirrors,  is  noted  by  Spartianus  in  his  life 
of  the  Emperor  Didius  Julianus  (ca.  133-193).  This 
ruler  is  said  to  have  resorted  to  this  form  of  divination, 
and  the  boy  entrusted  with  the  task  is  asserted  to  have 

"Balz,  "Die  sogenannte  magische  Spiegel  und  ihr  G-ebrauch"; 
Arehiv  fur  Anthrop.  N.S.,  vol.  ii,  p.  45,  1904. 

*Sahagun,  "Historia  general  de  las  cosas  de  Nueva  Espana," 
Mexico,  1829,  vol.  i,  pp.  2,  3;  vol.  ii,  pp.  6,  12,  16,  17;  lib.  i,  cap.  3; 
lib.  v,  cap.  3,  9,  11,  12. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        179 

announced  the  approaching  accession  of  Septimius 
Severus  (146-211)  and  the  dethronement  of  Didius 
Julianus.5 

An  indication  that  the  usage  of  divination  by  means 
of  a  silver  cup  existed  among  the  primitive  Hebrews  has 
been  found  in  the  story  of  Joseph  and  his  brethren.  In 
Genesis  xliv,  1-5,  we  read  that  Joseph  concealed  a  silver 
cup  in  the  sack  of  grain  borne  away  by  Benjamin,  making 
of  this  a  pretext  for  requiring  the  return  of  his 
brethren.  He  sent  messengers  to  overtake  them  and 
directed  them  to  demand  the  return  of  the  cup,  using  these 
words:  "Is  not  this  it  in  which  my  lord  drinketh,  and 
whereby  indeed  he  divineth?" 

The  Arabic  author,  Haly  Abou  Gefar,  tells  of  a  golden 
ball  used  by  "the  Magi,  followers  of  Zoroaster,"  in  their 
incantations.  It  was  incrusted  with  celestial  symbols  and 
set  with  a  sapphire,  and  one  of  these  magicians,  after 
attaching  it  to  a  strip  of  bullhide,  swung  it  around,  re- 
citing at  the  same  time  various  spells  and  incantations.6 
Probably  the  magician,  by  fixing  his  gaze  upon  the  bril- 
liant revolving  sphere,  gradually  fell  into  a  hypnotic 
trance,  during  which  visions  appeared  to  him.  These  he 
could  afterward  interpret  to  those  who  had  sought  his 
aid  to  read  the  future,  or  obtain  information  regarding 
things  that  were  happening  for  away. 

An  important  side-light  on  the  beliefs  of  "Western 
Europe,  in  the  fifth  century,  regarding  crystal-gazing,  is 
afforded  by  one  of  the  canons  of  the  synod  held  about  450 
A.D.  by  St.  Patrick  and  the  bishops  Auxilius  and  Isser- 
nanus.  Here  it  is  decreed  that  any  Christian  who  believes 
there  is  a  Lamia  (or  witch)  in  the  mirror  is  to  be  anathe- 

5  Spartiani,  "  Yita  Didii  Juliani,"  cap  7. 

'  Reichelti,  "De  amtileiis,"  Argentorati,  1676,  p.  36. 


180     THE  CURIOUS  LOEB  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

matized,  and  is  not  to  be  again  received  into  the  Church 
unless  lie  shall  have  renounced  this  belief  and  shall  have 
diligently  performed  the  penance  imposed  npon  him.7  In 
this  case,  as  in  many  others,  the  vision  in  the  crystal  or 
mirror  did  not  represent  some  former  or  contempora- 
neous happening,  but  the  figure  of  an  evil  spirit,  who, 
either  by  signs  or  words,  imparted  to  the  scryer  the  in- 
formation he  was  seeking. 

The  power  to  see  images  of  evil  spirits  on  the  surface 
of  water  was  claimed  by  those  called  hydromantii  in  the 
ninth  century.  This  is  attested  in  a  work  composed  about 
860  AJ>.  by  Hincmar,  Archbishop  of  Kheims,  who  charac- 
terizes the  supposed  appearances  as  "  images  or  decep- 
tions of  the  demons. "  These  diviners  asserted  that  they 
received  audible  communications  from  the  spirits,  and 
they  therefore  evidently;  believed  that  the  appearances 
were  realities.* 

Although,  as  we  have  seen,  many  different  materials 
were  used  for  scrying,  the  preference  was  often  given  to 
polished  spheres  of  beryl ;  in  modern  times,  however,  the 
rock-crystal  is  considered  the  best  adapted  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

In  his  introduction  to  "Crystal  Gazing,"  by  N.  W. 
Thomas,9  Andrew  Lang  writes  of  what  he  terms  hypna- 
gogic  illusions — images  which  appear  when  the  eyes  are 
closed  and  before  sleep  supervenes.  When  faces  ap- 
peared to  him  in  this  way,  they  were  always  unfamiliar 
ones,  with  the  single  exception  of  having  once  seen  his 
own  face  in  profile.  The  same  was  almost  invariably  true 

T "  Synodtun  episeorporum  Patricii,  Auxilii  et  Issernani,"  in  Migne, 
Patr.  Lat,  vol.  liii,  Paxisiis,  1865,  col.  825. 

*  Hincmari,  "  Opera  Omnia,"  in  Migne,  Patr.  Lat.,  vol.  cxxv,  col. 
7;  De  devortio  Lotharii  et  Tetbergse. 

"London,  1905,  pp.  xxiv, 


GLASS  BALL,  PERFORATED  AND 
MOUNTED  IN  METAL,  SO  THAT 
IT  CAN"  BE  SUSPENDED  AND 
USED  FOR  OCCULT  AND  CURA- 
TIVE PURPOSES, 

Period  of  about  tenth  or  twelfth  century 
>  Collection  of  Sir  Charles  Hercules  Read. 


BALL  OF  JET,  PERFORATED,  MOUNTED 
IN  METAL,  SO  THAT  IT  CAN  BE 
SUSPENDED  AND  USED  FOR  OCCULT 
AND  CURATIVE  PURPOSES. 

Period  of  about  tenth  or  twelfth  century.  Col- 
lection of  Sir  Charles  Hercules  Read. 


EYE  AGATE,  SHOWING  A  NUMBER  OF  CIRCULAR  MARKINGS. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING   181 

of  landscape  and  inanimate  objects.  These  forms  seemed 
to  grow  out  of  the  bright  points  of  light  which  frequently 
appear  when  the  eyes  are  closed,  and  Lang  suggests  a 
similar  origin  for  the  visions  of  the  "seryers7* — namely, 
the  development  of  the  images  from  dark  or  light  points 
in  the  glass. 

In  regard  to  this,  we  have  an  interesting  passage  in 
the  works  of  Ibn  Kaldoun,  a  Persian  writer,  born  in  1332, 
who  gives  the  following  very  acute  analysis  of  the  phe- 
nomena accompanying  crystal-gazing.10 

Some  believe  that  the  image  perceived  in  this  way  takes  form  on 
the  surface  of  the  mirror,  but  they  are  mistaken.  The  diviner  looks  at 
this  surface  fixedly  until  it  disappears,  and  a  curtain,  like  a  mist,  is 
interposed  between  him  and  the  mirror.  Upon  this  curtain  are  de- 
signed the  forms  he  wishes  to  see,  and  this  permits  hi™,  to  give  indica- 
tions, either  affirmative  or  negative,  concerning  the  matter  on  which 
he  is  questioned.  He  then  describes  his  perceptions  as  he  has  received 
them.  The  diviners,  while  in  this  state,  do  not  see  what  is  really  to  be 
seen  (in  the  mirror) ;  it  is  another  kind  of  perception,  which  is  born  in 
them  and  which  is  realized  not  by  sight  but  by  the  soul. 

As  to  the  character  and  quality  of  the  crystal  to  be 
used,  Abbot  Tritheim,  the  master  of  the  famous  Cornelius 
Agrippa,  says : u 

Procure  of  a  lapidary  a  good,  clear,  pellucid  crystal  of  the  bigness 
of  a  small  orange, — i.e.,  about  one  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter;  let  it  be 
globular,  or  round  each  way  alike;  then  you  have  got  this  crystal 
fair  and  clear,  without  any  clouds  or  specks.  Get  a  small  plate  of 
pure  gold  to  encompass  the  crystal  round  one-half;  let  this  be  fitted 
on  an  ivory  or  ebony  pedestal.  Let  there  be  engraved  a  circle  round 
the  crystal;  afterwards  the  name:  Tetragramrnaton.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  plate  let  there  be  engraved,  Michael,  Gabriel,  Uriel, 
Raphael,  which  are  the  four  principal  angels  ruling  over  the  Sun, 
Moon,  Venus,  and  Mercury. 

10  Ibn  Kaldoun,  in  Notices  et  Ext.  Se  MSB.  de  la  Bib.  Imp.,  vol. 
xix,  p.  221. 

"  See  Barrett,  «  The  Magus/'  London,  1801,  p.  135. 


182     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

The  four  letters  constituting  the  Tetragrammaton  are 
the  Hebrew  characters  yodh,  he,  wdw  and  he,  mn* .  As 
this  divine  name  was  regarded  in  later  Judaism  as  too 
sacred  to  be  pronounced,  the  word  lord,  adonai,  was  sub- 
stituted for  it  in  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  For 
this  reason,  when  the  vowel  signs  were  added  to  the  text 
to  indicate  the  traditional  pronunciation,  the  consonants 
Yhwh  were  provided  with  the  vowels  of  adonai  and  the 
name  was  therefore  read  Jehovah  by  Christian  scholars. 

The  Persian  poet  Jami  writes  thus  of  a  magic  mirror 
in  the  poem  "Salaman  and  Absal": 12 

Then  from  his  secret  Art  the  Sage  Vizyr 
A  Magie  Mirror  made;  a  Mirror  like 
The  bosom  of  All-wise  Intelligence, 
Reflecting  in  its  mystic  compass  all 
Within  the  sevenfold  volume  of  the  World 
InvoPd;  and  looking  in  that  Mirror's  face 
The  Shah  beheld  the  face  of  his  Desire. 

Eoger  Bacon  (1214-1292)  was  probably  the  most 
gifted  man  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  his  writings 
testify  to  an  extraordinarily  clear  perception  of  the  essen- 
tial principles^  of  scientific  research.  However,  his  true 
greatness  was  not  generally  appreciated  in  his  own  age, 
and  popular  fancy  wove  about  his  name  a  fabric  of 
legend  in  which  he  appeared  as  an  arch-necromancer  and 
magician.  The  curious  old  work  entitled  "The  Famous 
Historie  of  Fryar  Bacon"  gives  a  number  of  the  strange 
recitals  which  became  current  in  England  in  regard  to 
'Bacon's  wonderful  powers. 

One  of  these  treats  of  a  marvellous  " glass"  made  by 
the  friar,  in  which  events  happening  at  far-distant  places 

13  Jami's  "  Salaman  and  Absal,"  trans,  by  Edward  Fitzgerald,  Bos- 
ton, 1899,  p.  84. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING       183 

were  mirrored.  On  one  occasion  two  young  men,  be- 
tween whom  the  friendliest  feelings  existed,  came  to 
Bacon  and  requested  him  to  let  them  see  in  the  mirror 
what  their  fathers  were  doing  at  the  time.  The  friar  con- 
sented, but  the  experiment,  while  successful,  was  the 
cause  of  a  terrible  misfortune.  The  story  is  as  follows : 

The  Fathers  of  these  two  Gentlemen  (in  their  Sonnes  absence) 
were  become  great  foes :  this  hatred  betweene  them  was  growne  to  that 
height,  that  wheresoever  they  met,  they  had  not  onely  wordes,  but 
blowes.  Just  at  that  time,  as  it  should  seeme,  that  their  Sonnes  were 
looking  to  see  how  they  were  in  health,  they  were  met,  and  had  drawne, 
and  were  together  by  the  eares.  Their  Sonnes  seeing  this,  and  having 
been  alwayes  great  friends,  knew  not  what  to  say  to  one  another,  but 
beheld  each  other  with  angry  lookes.  At  last  one  of  their  Fathers, 
as  they  might  perceive  in  the  Grlasse,  had  a  fall,  and  the  other,  taking 
advantage,  stood  over  him  ready  to  strike  him.  The  Sonne  of  him 
that  was  downe  could  then  eontaine  himself e  no  longer,  but  told  the 
other  young  man,  that  his  Father  had  received  wrong.  He  answered 
againe,  that  it  was  f  aire.  At  last  there  grew  such  foule  words  betweene 
them,  and  their  bloods  were  so  heated,  that  they  presently  stabbed  the 
one  the  other  with  their  Daggers,  and  so  fell  downe  dead. 

The  sceptre  of  the  Scottish  regalia  is  surmounted  by 
a  crystal  globe,  two  inches  and  a  quarter  in  diameter, 
and  the  mace  by  a  large  crystal  beryl.  In  former  times 
these  stones  were  regarded  as  amulets  and  their  use  was 
traced  back  to  the  Druids.  Sir  Walter  Scott  tells  us  that 
in  his  time  they  were  still  known  among  the  Scottish 
Highlanders  as  "Stones  of  Power."18 

The  testimony  of  John  of  Salisbury  (11201-1180) 
shows  that  in  the  twelfth  century,  in  England,  divination 
by  means  of  the  arts  of  the  specularii  was  often  prac- 
tised. The  prelate  writes  that  when  a  boy,  he  himself  and 
a  companion  a  few  years  older  received  instruction  from 

"Description  of  the  Regalia  of  Scotland,  by  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
Bart.,  Edinburg,  n.  d.,  p.  13. 


184     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

a  priest  who  was  addicted  to  the  use  of  these  magic  arts. 
This  priest  used  to  polish  the  finger-nails  of  the  boys 
with  a  consecrated  oil  or  ointment,  and  then  direct  them 
to  look  upon  the  polished  surface  until  some  figure  or 
form  should  appear.  Sometimes  the  smooth,  polished 
surface  of  a  basin  was  used.  John  of  Salisbury  regarded 
it  as  a  mark  of  divine  favor  that  he  himself  saw  nothing 
upon  the  smooth  and  lustrous  surface,  but  he  states  that 
his  companion  observed  certain  vague  and  shadowy 
forms.  Certain  names  pronounced  by  the  priest  on  these 
occasions  terrified  the  boy,  for  he  believed  them  to  be  the 
names  of  evil  spirits ;  indeed,  such  was  his  reluctance  to 
participate  in  the  unholy  rites  that  his  presence  was  be- 
lieved to  interfere  with  the  production  of  the  phe- 
nomena.14 

In  another  part  of  his  "Policraticus,"  John  of  Salis- 
bury states  that  the  specularii  claimed  that  their  gift  of 
seeing  visions  on  polished  surfaces  was  never  used  to 
injure  any  one,  but  was  often  useful  in  the  detection  of 
theft  and  in  counteracting  magic  spells.15 

Under  the  comprehensive  chapter  heading:  "How  to 
conjure  the  crystal  so  that  all  things  may  be  seen  in  it," 
Paracelsus  (1493-1541)  declares  that "  to  conjure  "  means 
nothing  more  than  "to  observe  anything  rightly,  to 
learn  and  to  understand  what  it  is."  The  crystal  was 
of  the  nature  of  the  air,  and  hence  all  things  movable  and 
immovable  that  could  be  seen  in  the  air  could  also  be 
seen  in  the  crystal  or  speculum.16 

"Johannis  Saresberensis,  u  Policraticus/'  Lyon,  1513,  fols.  Lxxvii, 
verso.,  Ixrviii,  recto,  lib.  ii,  cap.  28. 

30  Johannis  Saresberensis,  1.  e.,  fol.  Ixxvi,  recto,  lib.  ii,  cap.  28. 

ae "  The  Hermetic  and  Alchemical  writings  of  Aureolus  Philippus 
Theophrastns  Bombast  of  Hohenheim,  called  Paracelsus  the  Great," 
trans,  by  Arthur  Edward  Waite,  London,  1894,  vol.  i,  p.  224. 


CEYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        185 

Paracelsus  showed  keen  insight,  and  his  conclusions 
are  excellent.  One  might  add,  however,  that  it  is  a  fact 
that  these  are  images  condensed  in  the  double  convex 
lens,  forming  as  it  were,  an  internal  crystal  sphere. 
These  images  are  reversed,  distorted  and  twisted,  and 
when  they  become  visible  to  one  who  is  expecting  strange 
things,  they  form  mental  impressions  which  it  is  often 
very  difficult  to  erase.  Many  crystal  gazers  are  fre- 
quently very  highly  wrought,  nervous  and  susceptible, 
and  other  influences  uniting  with  the  impressions  pro- 
duced, may  give  the  brain  for  a  time  the  power  to  evolve 
kaleidoscopic  effects. 

Directions  for  the  use  of  an  Erdenspiegel,  or  "earth- 
mirror,"  are  given  in  an  old  German  manuscript  written 
in  1658  by  a  Capuchin  priest17  The  mirror  is  to  be  set 
about  two  inches  above  a  board,  and  the  questions  to  be 
answered  are  to  be  placed  beneath  it.  The  scryer  is  rec- 
ommended to  place  three  grains  of  salt  upon  his  tongue, 
whereupon  he  is  to  repeat  a  prayer  and  cross  himself. 
He  now  takes  the  mirror  in  his  hand  and  breathes  upon 
it  three  times,  repeating  the  words,  "In  the  name  of  the 
Father,  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Amen." 

These  preliminaries  having  been  accomplished,  the 
following  prayer,  or  rather  invocation,  is  repeated: 

0  thou  holy  Archangel  1ST.  1ST.,  I  pray  to  thee  most  fervently 
through,  the  great  and  -unsearchable  name  of  the  Lord  of  all  Lords  and 
King  of  all  Kings,  Jod,  He,  Van,  He,  Tetragrammaton,  Adonay, 
Sehaday,  receive  my  greeting  and  give  ear  to  the  humble  petition  which 
I  offer  in  the  name  of  the  great  and  highest  God,  Elohim,  Zebaoth, 
that  thou  shalt  appear  to  me  in  the  world-mirror,  and  give  me  knowl- 
edge and  instruction  in  answer  to  my  questions. 

1T "  Unterricht  vom  Gebrauch  des  Erdspiegels,  1658"  (Aus  dem 
Kapiiziner-Kloster  in  Immenstat.  Eine  Handschrift  des  Kapuziner- 
Paters  Franziscus  Seraph.  Heider  daselbst) ;  in  'Tlandsehriftlichea 
Schatze  aus  Kloster  Bibliotheken,"  Koln  am  Ehein,  1734-1810  (reprint) . 


186     THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

The  strong  religious  tone  of  these  directions  for  the 
use  of  the  mirror  and  the  fact  that  it  is  a  priest  who 
gives  them,  shows  that  there  was  a  disposition  to  tolerate 
the  employment  of  such  " white  magic." 

In  medieval  times  it  was  believed  that  the  vision  in 
the  crystal  was  produced  through  the  agency  of  an  in- 
dwelling spirit,  and,  therefore,  it  was  necessary  to  use 
some  very  potent  spell  to  force  this  spirit  to  enter  the 
stone.  Many  of  these  ancient  spells  have  been  preserved, 
and  they  contain  a  strange  and  incongruous  mixture  of 
religious  and  magical  formulas.  In  one  of  these,  dating 
from  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  after  a  recitation  of 
a  long  and  rambling  conjuration,  we  read,  "And  yen  ask 
ye  chylde  yf  he  seethe  any  thyng,  and  yf  no,  let  the  mr 
begin  his  conjuratyo  agayn."  As  usual  the  scrying  was 
done  by  a  child,  the  conjuration  being  spoken  by  the  min- 
ister. An  important  part  of  the  conjuration  consisted 
in  the  repetition  of  a  number  of  divine  names,  most  of 
them  originally  Hebrew,  but  so  much  corrupted  by  re- 
citers who  did  not  know  their  meaning  that  it  is  now 
exceedingly  difficult  to  interpret  them  correctly. 

A  proof  that  this  form  of  magic  was  often  regarded 
as  quite  compatible  with  religion  is  offered  us  in  a  pas- 
sage from  a  sixteenth  century  manuscript,18  where  we 
read  that  the  crystal  should  be  laid  on  the  altar  "on  the 
Side  that  the  gosp'ell  is  read  on.  And  let  the  priest  say  a 
mass  on  the  same  Side. ? '  If  the  conjuration  is  successful, 
the  same  manuscript  tells  us  that  "these  angells  being 
once  appeared  will  not  depart  the  glasse  or  stone  untill 
the  Sonne  be  sett  except  you  licence  them. "  It  also  seems 
that  "scrying"  was  looked  upon  as  a  special  gift,  only 
granted  to  a  favored  few  as  a  peculiar  privilege,  and  we 

MS.  3851,  f.  50b. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        187 

read  that  "Prayer  and  a  good  beleefe  prevailed  much. 
For  faith  is  the  cay  to  this  and  all  other  works,  and 
without  it  nothing  can  be  effected. "  The  child  scryer, 
either  maid  or  boy,  should  not  be  more  than  twelve 
years  old. 

That  a  certain  religious  spirit,  however  mistaken, 
often  animated  the  crystal-gamers  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, is  shown  in  the  case  of  the  "speculator57  of  John 
a  Windor,  who  confessed  that  when  he  led  an  impure  life 
the  ' '  daemons ' '  would  not  appear  to  him  in  his  glass.  He 
would  then  proceed  to  fumigate  the  apartment,  as  though 
believing  that  the  very  air  was  contaminated  by  the  sins 
of  the  operator.  We  may  hope  that  the  seer  was  not  con- 
tent with  this,  but  also  tried  to  reform  his  evil  ways. 
Another  scryer,  a  woman  named  Sarah  Skelhorn,  de- 
clared that  the  spirits  that  appeared  to  her  in  the  glass 
would  often  follow  her  about  the  house  from  room  to 
room,  so  that  she  at  last  became  weary  of  their  presence.19 
Both  of  these  scryers  had  regular  employment,  for  it  was 
quite  customary  for  a  gentleman  to  have  a  household 
seer,  just  as  he  would  have  a  body-physician,  if  he  could 
afford  it. 

A  sixteenth  century  work  on  magic,  the  "Hollen- 
zwang"  of  Dr.  Faustus,  whose  name  has  been  immortal- 
ized for  all  ages  by  Goethe,  gives  very  particular  and 
detailed  directions  for  the  preparation  and  consecration 
of  a  crystal,  whether  glass  or  quartz.  Faust  asks  his 
"Mephistophelis"  whether  such  crystals  can  be  made, 
and  the  spirit  replies:  "Yes,  indeed,  my  Faust,'7  and 
directs  Faust  to  go,  on  a  Tuesday,  to  a  glass-maker,  and 
get  the  latter  to  form  a  glass.  It  was  requisite  that  this 

19  Jonson,  "  The  Alchemist/'  ed.  Hathaway,  New  York,  1903,  pp. 
101, 145,  note. 


188     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

work  should  be  done  in  the  hour  of  Mars,  that  is,  in  the 
first,  eighth,  fifteenth  or  twenty-second  hour  of  Tuesday. 
The  crystal  when  completed  must  not  be  accepted  as  a 
gift,  but  a  price  must  be  paid  for  it.  When  the  object 
had  been  secured,  Mephistopheles  directs  that  it  be  buried 
in  a  grave,  where  it  must  be  left  for  the  space  of  three 
weeks;  it  was  then  to  be  unearthed;  if  a  woman  pur- 
chased it,  she  must  bury  it  in  a  woman's  grave.  How- 
ever, these  preliminaries  only  served  to  prepare  the 
crystal  for  the  final  consecration,  as  the  mere  material 
mass  was  regarded  as  inert  and  possessing  no  virtue 
until  certain  spirits  were  summoned  to  dwell  within  it. 
Mephistopheles  confesses  that  he  alone  would  not  be  pow- 
erful enough,  and  he  directs  Faust  to  call  upon  the  spirits 
Azeruel  and  Adadiel  also.  Faust  is  assured  that  the  three 
spirits  will  show  him  in  the  crystal  whatever  he  may  wish 
to  know.  If  anything  has  been  stolen,  the  thief  will  ap- 
pear ;  if  any  one  is  suffering  from  disease,  the  character 
of  his  malady  will  be  revealed,  etc.20 

Another  way  of  preparing  a  crystal  glass  or  mirror 
is  given  in  the  same  work.  After  the  glass  has  been 
bought  it  is  to  be  immersed  in  baptismal  water  in  which 
a  first-born  male  child  has  been  baptized,  and  therein  it 
is  to  remain  for  three  weeks.  The  water  is  then  to  be 
poured  out  over  a  grave  and  the  sixth  chapter  of  the 
Eevelation  of  St.  John  is  to  be  read.  Hereupon  the  fol- 
lowing conjuration  should  be  pronounced : 

0  crystal,  thou  art  a  pure  and  tender  virgin,  thou  standest  at  one 
of  tlie  gates  of  heaven,  that  nothing  may  be  hidden  from  thee;  thou 
standest  under  a  cloud  of  heaven  that  nothing  may  be  hidden  from 

wKeisewetter,  "  Faust  in  der  Gesehichte  und  Tradition,"  Leipzig, 
1893,  p.  472. 


DR.  DEE'S  SHEW  STONE. 

Natural  size.  British  Museum.  This  sphere  of  smoky-quartz  came  to  the  British 
Museum  in  1700  with  the  Cottonian  Library,  donated  at  that  time  by  the  grandson  of  the 
original  collector,  Sir  Robert  Bruce  Cotton  (1571-1631). 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        189 

thee,  whether  in  fields  or  meadows,  whether  master  or  servant,  whether 
wife  or  maid.  Let  this  be  said  to  thee  in  the  name  of  God,  as  a  plea 
for  thy  help.21 

The  visions  seen  in  crystal  gazing  were  often  sup- 
posed to  be  the  work  of  evil  spirits,  seeking  to  seduce  the 
souls  of  men  by  offering  the  promise  of  riches  or  by  ac- 
cording them  an  unlawful  glimpse  into  the  future.  Here, 
as  in  other  magical  operations,  there  was  both  white 
and  black  magic,  recourse  being  had  in  some  cases  to 
good,  and  in  others  to  evil  spirits.  As  an  illustration  of 
the  latter  practice,  a  sixteenth  century  writer  relates  that 
in  the  city  of  Nuremberg,  some  time  during  the  year  1530, 
a  "  demon "  showed  to  a  priest,  in  a  crystal,  the  vision  of 
a  buried  treasure.  Believing  in  the  truth  of  this  vision, 
the  priest  went  to  the  spot  indicated,  where  he  found  an 
excavation  in  the  form  of  a  cavern,  in  the  depths  of  which 
he  could  see  a  chest  and  a  black  dog  lying  alongside  it. 
Eagerly  the  priest  entered  the  cavern,  hoping  to  possess 
himself  of  the  treasure,  but  the  top  of  the  excavation 
caved  in  and  he  was  crushed  to  death.22 

The  famous  charlatan,  Dr.  Dee,  who  was  for  a  time  a 
prominent  figure  at  the  court  of  Emperor  Rudolph  II, 
was  highly  favored  by  Queen  Elizabeth.  The  queen  vis- 
ited him  several  times,  and  even  appears  to  have  con- 
sulted him  on  political  matters.  In  his  diary  the  doctor 
relates  that  the  queen  called  at  his  house  shortly  after  his 
wife's  death,  which  took  place  March  16,  1575.  Of  this 
visit  he  gives  the  following  details : 

The  Queen's  Majestie,  with  her  most  honorable  Privy  Council,  and 
other  the  Lords  and  Nobility,  came  purposely  to  have  visited  my 
library:  but  finding  that  my  wife  was  within  four  hours  before  buried 

50  Keisewetter,  "  Faust  in  der  Geschichte  und  Tradition,  p.  473. 
22  Wieri,  "  De  prestigiis  demonum/'  Basilese,  1563,  p.  121. 


190     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

out  of  the  Louse,  her  Majestie  refused  to  come  in ;  but  willed  to  fetch 
my  glass  so  famous,  and  to  show  unto  her  some  of  the  properties  of 
it,  which  I  did.  Her  Majestie  being  taken;  down  from  her  horse  by 
the  Earle  of  liecester,  Master  of  the  Horse,  at  the  church  wall  of 
Mortlake,  did  see  some  of  the  properties  of  that  glass,  to  her  Majestie's 
great  contentment  and  delight.13 

It  was  at  Mortlake,  on  December  22,  1581,  that  Dr. 
Dee  made  Ms  first  essay  with  Ms  crystal  ball.  The  pro- 
ceedings were  conducted  with,  a  certain  religious  cere- 
monial, and  began  with  a  pious  invocation  to  the  angel  of 
the  stone.  TMs  celestial  being  soon  graciously  deigned 
to  manifest  himself  in  the  stone  and — presumably  by  the 
voice  of  the  scryer — answered  the  questions  put  by  those 
present. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Dee  used  more  than  one 
crystal  in  the  course  of  his  experiments ;  that  now  in  the 
British  Museum  is  of  cairngorm,  or  "smoky-quartz." 
This  variety  of  quartz  may  have  been  chosen  because  of 
the  Scotch  superstitions  regarding  its  virtues ;  for,  as  a 
rule,  charlatans  seek  to  avail  themselves  of  already  exist- 
ing superstitions  in  order  to  make  their  innovations  more 
acceptable. 

To  give  assurance  to  those  who  consulted  such  crys- 
tals that  no  diabolical  agency  was  involved  in  the  pro- 
duction of  the  phenomena,  it  was  customary  that  a  child 
should  be  the  crystal-gazer.  In  Dr.  Dee's  experiments, 
however,  it  was  usually  the  notorious  Kelley,  his  dme 
damnee,  who  undertook  this  task  of  interpreting  the 
crystal  visions.  The  description  given  by  Dee  of  a 
little  girl  who  frequently  acted  as  the  intermediary 
of  the  higher  powers  suggests  one  of  the  fanciful 

33 "  The  Private  Diary  of  Dr.  John  Dee/7  ed.  by  Halliwell,  London, 
1842  (Camden  Sac.  Pub.),  p.  9,  note  ("Compendious  Memorial/'  p. 
516). 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        191 

creations  of  our  great  novelist  Hawthorne.  Her  mystic 
name  was  Madimi,  and  she  is  depicted  as  a  pretty  girl 
about  eight  years  old,  and  with  long  flowing  hair.  To 
make  her  appearance  more  conspicuous,  she  was  attired 
in  a  silk  dress  with  chatoyant  effects  in  red  and  green. 
At  times,  during  the  seances,  this  gay  little  figure  could 
be  seen  flitting  about  the  study,  rendered  even  more 
whimsical  and  strange  from  its  contrast  with  the  piles  of 
dusty  old  books,  the  curiosities,  and  the  magical  instru- 
ments collected  there.24 

This  visionary  maiden  Madimi,  of  whom  Dee  relates 
so  much  in  his  diary,  was  apparently  a  child  of  fancy,  a 
creation  of  Kelley  ?s  fertile  brain.  The  diary  is  some- 
what obscure  in  this  particular  and  easily  misunder- 
stood; but  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  where  Madimi 
is  represented  as  speaking,  it  is  Kelley's  voice  that  trans- 
mits to  Dee  her  revelations.  One  passage,  often  over- 
looked, gives  evidence  of  this.  Madimi  has  appeared  and 
is  addressing  her  remarks  to  Kelley  and  to  Dee  by  turns ; 
finally,  Dee  says,  "I  know  you  see  me  often  and  I  see  you 
only  by  faith  and  imagination."  To  this  Madimi  quickly 
retorts,  "pointing  to  E.  K."  (Kelley),  "That  sight  is 
perfecter  than  his."  Evidently  we  must  understand 
this  to  signify  something  that  Kelley  has  told  Dee,  for 
the  latter 's  words  show  that  he  did  not  himself  see  the 
little  fairy  pointing  to  his  friend.  In  many  respects  little 
Madimi  may  recall  another  "spiritual"  maiden  of  whom 
we  heard  much  a  few  years  ago,  the  sprightly  little 
Indian  spirit  "Bright  Eyes,"  whose  love  for  candy  and 
jewelry  was  so  very  earthly. 

34  A  true  and  faithful  Relation  of  what  passed  for  Many  Yeeres  be- 
tween Dr.  John  Dee  and  Some  Spirits.  With  preface  by  Merie.  Casau- 
bon,  London,  1659,  p.  1. 


192     THE  CURIOUS  LOKE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Not  only  the  quality  of  the  crystal  had  to  be  con- 
sidered, but  also  its  support  and  surroundings.  Of  this 
we  have  an  interesting  instance  in  the-  case  of  Dr.  Dee's 
crystal.  In  one  of  his  manuscripts  is  recorded  the  fact 
that  on  the  10th  of  March,  1582,  Kelley  saw  in  the  crystal 
a  representation  of  the  form  and  arrangement  of  the  table 
on  which  it  should  b©  set;  particular  instructions  on  the 
matter  were  also  directly  imparted  to  the  scryer  by  the 
angel  Uriel.  The  table  was  to  be  square,  measuring  two 
cubits  each  way  and  two  cubits  in  height;  and  it  was 
to  have  four  feet.  The  material  was  to  be  ' ' swete  wood" 
and  upon  it  was  to  be  placed  the  Sigillum  Dei  (Seal  of 
G-od)  impressed  upon  the  purest,  colorless  was,  the  disk 
being  1%  inches  thick  and  9  inches  in  diameter.  It  bore  a 
cross  and  the  magic  letters  A.  Gr.  L.  A.,  a  transliteration 
into  Eoman  characters  of  the  initials  of  the  Hebrew 
words  signifying  "Thou  are  great  forever,  0  Lord." 
Four  other  and  smaller  seals  were  to  be  provided,  one  to 
be  placed  under  each  leg  of  the  table;  each  of  these  seals 
being  impressd  with  geometrical  figures  within  or  upon 
which  were  the  seven  sacred  names  of  God  and  the  names 
of  the  seven  angels  ruling  the  seven  planetary  heavens ; 
Zabothiel,  ZedeMel,  Madiniel,  Semeliel  [Semeshiel], 
Nogabiel,  Corabiel  [Cocabiel]  and  Levaniel,  the  angels, 
respectively,  of  Saturn,  Jupiter,  Mars,  the  Sun,  Venus, 
Mercury  and  the  Moon.  There  then  appeared  to  the 
scryer  the  figure  of  the  table  with  the  crystal  resting  upon 
it.  Of  this  it  is  said:25 

"  Under  the  table  did  seeme  to  be  layd  red  sylk  to  lye 
four  square  somewhat  broader  than  the  table,  hanging 
down  with  four  knops  or  tassells  at  the  four  corners 

25  See  B.  M.  Dalton's  notes  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Society  of 
.Antiquaries,  2d  ser.,  vol.  xxi,  380-383.  Sloane  MS.  A.  3188. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        193 

thereof.  Uppon  the  uppermost  red  silk  did  seme  to  be  set 
the  stone  with  the  frame,  right  over  and  uppon  the  princi- 
pal seal,  saving  that  the  sayd  sylk  was  betwene  the  one 
and  the  other/' 

It  therefore  seems  that  the  prejudice  in  favor  of  a 
black  or  at  least  a  dark  background  for  the  crystal  did 
not  appeal  to  Dr.  Dee,  and  indeed  the  effect  of  color  may 
perhaps  better  serve  to  neutralize  troublesome  reflections 
than  does  black. 

The  personages  Kelley  pretended  to  see  in  or  around 
the  magic  crystal  were  described  by  Trim  to  Dr.  Dee  in 
the  greatest  detail,  and  this  undoubtedly  served  to  lend 
more  reality  and  authority  to  their  communications.  As 
an  illustration  of  Kelley  ?s  inventiveness  in  this  matter, 
we  may  take  his  description  of  "Nalvage,"  a  spirit  that 
first  appeared  while  the  doctor  and  his  famulus  were  in 
Cracow,  April  10,  1584,  and  was  subsequently  a  frequent 
visitor.  The  seer  introduces  his  new  "  control'  >  as 
f ollows : 26 

He  hath  a  Gown  of  white  silk,  with  a  Cape  with  three  pendants 
with  tassels  on  the  end  of  them  all  green;  it  is  fur,  white,  and  seemeth 
to  shine,  with  a  wavering  glittering.  On  his  head  is  nothing,  he  hath 
no  berd.  His  phisiognomy  is  like  the  pictures  of  King  Edward  the 
Sixth;  his  hair  hangeth  down  a  quarter  of  the  length  of  the  Cap, 
somewhat  curling,  yellow.  He  hath  a  rod  or  wand  in  his  hand, 
almost  as  big  as  my  little  finger;  it  is  of  Gold,  and  divided  into  three 
equal  parts,  with  a  brighter  Gold  than  the  rest.  He  standeth  upon 
his  round  table  of  Christal,  or  rather  Mother  of  Pearl. 

When  reading  the  words  spoken  by  Kelley  and  so 
carefully  preserved  by  Dr.  Dee,  we  are  reminded,  aside 
from  the  archaic  turn  of  speech,  of  the  minute  descrip- 
tions so  glibly  given  by  modern  mediums.  It  is  true  that 

""Casaubon's  "Relation/'  p.  73. 
13 


194     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

lately,  in  America,  the  spirits  of  the  former  owners  of 
the  land,  of  the  blameless  aborigines,  seem  to  have  ac- 
quired a  quasi  monopoly  of  the  intercourse  with  the 
other  world. 

Most  of  the  early  records  of  crystal-gazing  show  con- 
clusively enough  that  the  images  revealed  in  the  stone 
were  produced  by  the  expectations,  the  hopes,  or  the 
fears  of  the  gazer.  In  many  cases,  indeed,  the  vision  is 
only  prophetic  because  it  determines  the  future  conduct 
of  the  person  who  consults  the  stone.  Fully  persuaded 
that  what  has  been  seen  must  come  to  pass,  he,  or  she, 
proceeds  more  or  less  consciously  to  make  it  happen,  to 
fulfil  the  prediction. 

As  an  instance  of  this  we  may  take  from  an  old  Ger- 
man book  2T  the  tale  of  a  lovelorn  maiden  who  seeks  the 
aid  of  an  enchantress  to  learn  whether  she  will  marry 
her  lover,  upon  whom  her  parents  look  with  disfavor. 
The  mystic  crystal  is  brought  out  wrapped  in  a  yellow 
handkerchief,  and  is  placed  in  a  green  bowl  beneath 
which  is  spread  a  blue  cloth,  the  reflections  from  these 
different  colors  being  probably  calculated  to  stimulate 
the  optic  nerve  and  favor  the  appearance  of  some  pic- 
ture upon  the  polished  surface  of  the  crystal.    The  young 
girl,  in  rapt  attention,  looks  long  and  earnestly;  at  last 
she  cries  out  that  she  sees  her  own  form  and  that  of  her 
lover.    Both  look  pale  and  sad,  and  they  appear  to  be 
about  to  set  forth  upon  a  long  and  perilous  journey,  for 
the  lover  wears  riding-boots  and  carries  a  brace  of  pis- 
tols.   The  girl  is  so  terrified  at  the  sight  that  she  faints 
away.    The  sequel  of  this  vision  is  a  runaway  match,  and 
we  can  easily  understand  that  when  the  lover  proposed 

"Rist,    "Die  Aller-Edelste  Zeit-Verkiirtung  der  ganzen  Welt," 
Franekf  urt  on  dem  Mayn,  1668,  p.  255. 


CEYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        195 

this  adventure,  the  girl  believed  that  it  was  written  in 
the  book  of  fate  and  willingly  agreed  to  undertake  it. 

The  great  humorous  poem  "Hudibras,"  wherein  all 
the  foibles  of  the  seventeenth  century  are  castigated, 
does  not  fail  to  make  mention  of  Dee  and  Kelley  and 
their  crystal.  Of  the  sorcerer  whose  aid  Hudibras  seeks 
we  are  told : 28 

He'd  read  Dee's  prefaces  before, 
The  Devi  and  Euclid  o'er  and  o'er; 
And  all  tb/  intrigues  'twist  him  and  Kelley, 
Lascus  and  th?  Emperor,  would  tell  ye. 

Kelley  did  all  his  feats  upon 
The  devil's  looking-glass,  a  stone 
Where,  playing  with  him  at  bo-peep 
He  solved  all  problems  ne'er  so  deep. 

In  his  experiments  in  crystal-gazing,  Dr.  Dee  evi- 
dently used  more  than  one  crystal,  and  did  not  indeed 
confine  the  operations  of  his  scryer  or  scryers  to  bril- 
liant spheres.  In  the  collection  of  Horace  Walpole,  at 
Strawberry  Hill,  was  a  polished  slab  of  black  stone, 
obsidian,  from  Mexico.  This  came  into  the  possession 
of  Mr.  Smythe  Piggott  and  later  (1853)  into  that  of 
Lord  Londesborongh;  it  is  now  in  the  collection  of 
Prince  Alexis  Soltykoff.  Horace  Walpole  wrote  a 
label  for  the  stone,  in  which  he  says  that  it  had 
long  been  owned  by  the  Mordaunts,  Earls  of  Peters- 
borough,  and  was  described  in  the  catalogue  of 
their  collection  as  the  black  stone  into  which  Dr.  Dee 
used  to  call  his  spirits.  Later  it  was  owned  by  John 
Campbell,  Dnke  of  Argyle,  who  gave  it  to  Horace  Wal- 

28  Butler,  "Hudibras,"  Part  II,  Canto  in,  11,  235-8,  and 
631-4.  Tnis  second  part  was  issued  in  1663,  four  years  after  Casau- 
bon's  publication  of  Dee's  journal. 


196    THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

pole.29    Undoubtedly  any  polished  surface,  whether  flat 
or  convex,  might  serve  the  purpose  of  the  scryer  almost 
equally  well;  the  possible  advantage  of  a  convex  or  a 
spherical  form  consists  in  the  multiplying  of  the  reflec- 
tions and  light  points  so  that  the  sight  is  induced  to 
wander  from  point  to  point,  and  that  forms  and  even 
motions  are  suggested  by  the  superposition  and  combi- 
nation of  the  various  reflections.   Often,  too,  a  light  point 
visible  to  one  eye  will  not  be  so  to  the  other,  this  some- 
times provoking  the  phenomenon  of  binocular  vision, 
which  asserts  itself  for  a  moment  or  two,  when  the 
diverse  images  coalesce  again,  though  imperfectly,  giv- 
ing an  impression  of  movement.    For  one  gifted  with 
imagination  and  the  natural  quality  of  visualizing  brain- 
pictures,  these  shifting  light-points  and  the  more  or  less 
definite  and  repeated  reflections  of  surrounding  objects 
offer  abundant  material  out  of  which  to  construct  life- 
like pictures  apparently  seen  in  the  crystal.    That  the 
brain-pictures  thus  thrown  out,  so  to  speak,  upon  the 
crystal,  may  or  may  not  have  a  peculiar  psychic  value, 
other  than  their  value  as  mere  phenomena,  depends  upon 
the  significance  we  are  inclined  to  attribute  to  the  pro- 
cesses of  the  subconscious  intelligence;  of  its  existence, 
indeed,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  many  of  our  best 
thinkers  incline  to  the  belief  that  through  it  the  narrow 
limits  of  our  personality  are  occasionally  transcended. 

The  following  history  and  description  of  a  crystal 
ball  is  given  by  John  Aubrey  (1626-1697) : 

I  have  here  set  down  the  figure  of  a  consecrated  Beryl — now  in 
the  possession  of  Sir  Edward  Haxley,  Knight  of  the  Bath,  which 

28  Miscellanea  graphica:  [Representations  of  Ancient  Medieval  and 
Renaissance  remains  in  the  Possession  of  Lord  Londesborongh;  introd. 
by  Thomas  Wright,  London,  1857,  p.  81. 


1,  2,  3.  Rock-crystal  spheres  having  portions  of  the  surface  ground  so  that  they  are  rendered  par 

opaque. 
4.  Natural  cross  of  rock-crystal.    On  dolomite,  Osaining,  New  York. 


CETSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING       197 

he  keeps  in  his  closet  at  Brampton  Bryan  in  Herefordshire  amongst 
his  Cimelia,  which  I  saw  there.  It  came  first  from  Norfolk;  a  min- 
ister had  it  there,  and  a  call  was  to  be  made  with  it.  Afterwards  a 
miller  had  it  and  he  did  work  great  cures  with  it  (if  curable),  and  in 
the  Beryl  they  did  see,  either  the  receipt  in  writing,  or  else  the  herb. 
To  this  minister,  the  spirits  or  angels  would  appear  openly,  and 
because  the  miller1  (who  was  his  familiar  friend)  one  day  happened 
to  see  them,  he  gave  him  the  aforesaid  Beryl  and  Call;  by  these  angels 
the  minister  was  forewarned  of  his  death.  This  account  I  had  from 
Mr.  Ashmole.  Afterwards  this  Beryl  came  into  somebody's  hand  in 
London  who  did  tell  strange  things  by  it;  insomuch  that  at  last  he  was 
questioned  for  it,  and  it  was  taken  away  by  authority  (it  was  about 
1645).  This  Beryl  is  a  perfect  sphere,  the  diameter  of  it  I  guess  to 
be  something  more  than  an  inch;  it  is  set  in  a  ring,  or  circle,  of  silver, 
resembling  the  meredian  of  a  globe;  the  stem  of  it  is  about  ten  inches 
high,  all  gilt.  At  the  four  quarters  of  it  are  the  names  of  four  angels, 
viz :  Uriel,  Raphael,  Michael,  Gabriel.  On  the  top  is  a  cross  patee.30 

In  Ms  "Sudducismus  Triumphatus, "  Joseph  Glanvil 
writes  that  "one  Compton  of  Summersetshire,  who  prac- 
tised Physick,  and  pretends  to  strange  Matters,"  demon- 
strated his  power  to  evoke  the  image  of  a  distant  person 
on  the  surface  of  a  mirror.  Q-lanvil  relates  that  Comp- 
ton offered  to  show  to  a  Mr.  Hill  any  one  the  latter 
wished  to  see.  Hill  "had  no  great  confidence  in  his 
talk,"  but  replied  that  he  desired  to  see  his  wife  who  was 
many  miles  distant.  "Upon  this,  Compton  took  up  a 
Looking-glass  that  was  in  the  Boom,  and  setting  it  down 
again,  bid  my  Friend  look  in  it,  which  he  did,  and  then,  as 
he  most  solemnly  and  seriously  prof  esseth,  he  saw  the  ex- 
act Image  of  his  Wife,  in  that  Habit  which  she  then  wore 
and  working  at  her  Needle  in  such  a  part  of  the  Room 
(then  represented  also)  in  which  and  about  which  time 
she  really  was,  as  he  found  upon  enquiry  when  he  came 

30 Aubrey,  "Miscellanies/'  London,  1890,  pp.  156,  157.  (There  is 
a  figure  on  p.  156.) 


198     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

home.  The  Gentleman  himself  averred  this  to  me,  and 
he  is  a  very  sober,  intelligent,  and  credible  Person. 
Compton  had  no  knowledge  of  him  before,  and  was  an 
ntter  stranger  to  the  Person  of  his  Wife.  He  was  by 
all  accounts  a  very  odd  Person."31 

A  contemporary  record  recites  that  when  a  certain  Sir 
Marmaduke  Langdale  (of  the  seventeenth  century)  was 
in  Italy,  he  went  to  a  sorcerer  and  was  shown  in  a  glass 
his  own  figure  kneeling  before  a  crucifix.  Though  a 
Protestant  at  this  time,  he  shortly  after  became  a  Cath- 
olic.32 If  we  exclude  all  idea  of  trickery,  it  is  likely 
enough  that  the  idea  of  becoming  a  Catholic  was  already 
present  to  the  seryer's  mind  and  called  up  this  picture 
before  him. 

The  celebrated  Cagliostro,  a  Sicilian  whose  real  name 
was  Giuseppe  Balsamo,  among  his  other  arts  to  excite 
curiosity  and  play  upon  the  superstition  of  his  contem- 
poraries, had  recourse  to  a  species  of  crystal-gazing.  In 
the  only  authentic  biography  of  this  extraordinary  im- 
postor occurs  the  following  passage,  which  we  give  in 
Carlyle's  version:33 

Cagliostro  brought  a  little  Boy  into  the  Lodge,  son  of  a  nobleman 
there.  He  placed  him  on  his  knees  before  a  table,  whereon  stood  a 
Bottle  of  pure  water,  and  behind  this  some  lighted  candles:  he  made 
an  exorcism  round  the  boy,  put  his  hand  on  his  head  and  both,  in  this 
attitude,  addressed  their  prayers  to  God  for  the  happy  accomplishment 
of  the  work.  Having  bid  the  child  look  into  the  Bottle,  directly  the 
child  cried  that  he  saw  a  garden.  Knowing  hereby  that  Heaven  as- 
sisted him,  Cagliostro  took  courage,  and  bade  the  child  ask  of  God  the 
grace  to  see  the  angel  Michael.  At  first  the  child  said :  "  I  see  some- 

31  Glanvil,  "  Saddueismus  Triumphatus/7  London,  1726,  p.  281. 

33 Aubrey,  "Miscellanies,"  London,  1890,  p.  155. 

"Carlyle,  "  Works,"  Ashburton  ed.,  vol.  xvi,  p.  509;  from  Vie  de 
Joseph  Balsamo,  traduite  d'apres  Poriginal  Italien,  ch.  ii,  111  (Paris, 
1791). 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        199 

thing  white;  I  know  not  what  it  is."  Then  he  began  jumping,  stamp- 
ing like  a  possessed  creature,  and  cried :  "  There  now !  I  see  a  child 
like  myself,  that  seems  to  have  something  angelical.77  All  the  as- 
sembly, and  Cagliostro  himself,  remained  speechless  with  emotion. 
.  .  .  The  child  being  anew  exorcised  with  the  hand  of  the  Venerable 
on  his  head,  and  the  customary  prayer  addressed  to  Heaven,  he  looked 
into  the  Bottle,  and  said  he  saw  his  sister  at  that  moment  coming'  down 
stairs,  and  embracing  one  of  her  brothers.  That  appeared  impossible, 
the  brother  in  question  being  then  hundreds  of  miles  off;  however, 
Cagliostro  felt  not  disconcerted;  said  they  might  send  to  the  country- 
house  where  the  sister  was,  and  see. 

Taken  all  in  all  this  experiment  does  not  seem  very 
satisfactory;  but  we  have  in  it  all  the  essential  phases 
of  crystal-gazing.  Excitement  and  expectation  produced 
their  usual  effect  upon  an  impressionable  child,  and  sug- 
gestion did  the  rest ;  the  final  vision  may  have  been  cor- 
roborated in  some  way,  or,  if  not,  it  would  be  explained 
so  as  to  convince  those  present  at  the  experiment  that 
the  child  had  really  seen  a  representation  of  some  actual 
happening. 

During  the  Terror,  among  those  upon  whom  fell  the 
suspicions  of  the  Jacobins  was  General  Marliere.  He 
knew  that  a  trial  and  quite  probably  a  condemnation 
awaited  him.  A  few  days  before  the  date  fixed  for  his 
appearance  before  his  judges,  he  met  a  colonel  in  the 
French  army,  who  had  served  in  the  American  Bevolu- 
tionary  War,  and  who  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  truth  of 
the  visions  seen  in  crystal  balls.  In  the  course  of  the 
conversation  this  subject  was  alluded  to,  and  the  gen- 
eral immediately  declared  that  he  was  eager  to  put  the 
matter  to  the  test,  and  learn,  if  possible,  what  fate  was 
in  store  for  him.  The  colonel  was  at  first  very  unwilling 
to  undertake  the  experiment,  probably  he  thought  that 
General  Marliere  7s  doom  was  sealed,  and,  believing  as  he 
'did  in  the  revelations  of  the  crystal,  he  dreaded  the  re- 


200  THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

suits;  however,  the  general  insisted  and  the  experiment 
took  place.  As  usual,  the  medium  was  an  "innocent 
child. "  In  the  crystal  appeared  a  man  wearing  a  pri- 
vate 's  uniform  of  the  National  Guard  struggling  with  one 
wearing  a  general's  uniform.  The  child  was  much  excited 
and  terrified  by  the  sight,  exclaiming  that  the  general's 
assailant  had  thrown  him  down  and  was  beheading  him. 
That  the  vision  portended  the  general's  execution  was 
clear  enough,  but  the  peculiar  dress  of  the  executioner 
was  a  mystery  to  those  present  at  the  test,  for  the 
official  garb  bore  no  resemblance  whatever  to  a  soldier's 
uniform.  The  prediction  was,  however,  fulfilled  to  the 
letter.  General  Marliere  was  tried,  found  guilty,  and 
guillotined.  This  in  itself  did  not  mean  much  in  view  of 
the  innumerable  executions  in  the  time  of  the  Terror; 
but,  on  the  day  of  this  execution,  Samson,  the  official 
executioner,  desiring  to  gratify  his  personal  vanity  and 
to  attract  the  gaze  of  the  spectators,  dressed  himself  in 
the  uniform  of  a  national  guardsman.34  That  this  alto- 
gether unusual  circumstance,  which  could  scarcely  have 
been  known  to  any  of  those  who  assisted  at  the  crystal- 
gazing,  should  have  been  revealed  in  the  crystal,  is  cer- 
tainly very  mysterious.  If  we  had  positive  assurance 
that  the  events  narrated  happened  exactly  in  the  way 
they  are  said  to  have  happened,  this  would  be  one  of  the 
few  instances  in  which  the  vision  seen  in  the  crystal  re- 
produced something  entirely  unknown  to  the  scryer. 

Many  extraordinary  visions  are  said  to  have  been 
seen  in  crystal  balls  by  a  French  scryer  whos'e  grand- 
mother had  clairvoyant  powers  and  was  sometimes  con- 
sulted by  Napoleon  I.  It  is  claimed  that  the  grandson 

* Kiesewetter,  "Faust  in  der  Geschiclite  und  Tradition/'  Leipzig, 
1893,  p.  476. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING       201 

has  enjoyed  the  patronage  of  many  royal  personages, 
and  had  predicted,  in  a  more  or  less  definite  way,  the 
assassination  of  King  Humbert  of  Italy,  and  the  at- 
tempted assassination  of  Alfonso  XIII  and  of  his  young 
bride,  when  they  were  returning  to  the  palace  after  the 
conclusion  of  the  marriage  ceremony.  This  French 
scryer  has  stated  that  he  is  powerfully  affected  when 
he  is  consulted  by  any  one  destined  to  die  a  violent  death; 
on  such  occasions  he  feels,  in  his  own  organism,  a  modi- 
fied form  of  the  particular  kind  of  suffering  they  are 
fated  to  experience.  This  exceptional  sensitiveness  to 
occult  influences  was  also  shown  when  the  crystal- 
gafcer  went  to  the  Boulaq  Museum  in  Cairo,  and  gazed 
upon  the  rows  of  mummies  exhibited  there ;  he  immedi- 
ately felt,  as  intensely  as  though  it  were  a  personal  ex- 
perience, the  mingled  sorrow  and  rage  of  the  disembodied 
spirits  at  seeing  their  embalmed  bodies  exposed  to  the 
vrew  of  the  idle  crowd,  when  they  should  have  been  per- 
mitted to  rest  in  their  tombs  until  the  hour  of  the  Resur- 
rection. 

In  England  all  those  who  attempted,  with  a  greater 
or  less  degree  of  success,  to  reveal  the  hidden  secrets  of 
the  future,  were  expressly  designated  as  rogues  and  vaga- 
bonds according  to  the  terms  of  an  act  passed  June  21, 
1824.35  Such  offenders,  on  being  duly  convicted  before 
the  Justice  of  the  Peace,  could  be  committed  to  the 
House  of  Correction,  " there  to  be  kept  at  hard  Labour 
for  any  time  not  exceeding  Three  Calendar  Months. " 
This  class  of  undesirable  citizens  comprised  all  using 
"any  subtle  Craft,  Means,  or  Device,  by  Palmistry  or 
otherwise"  for  the  deception  of  his  Majesty's  subjects. 

The  h'men,  or  diviner,  of  Yucatan,  places  great  re- 

35  George  TV,  cap. 


202     THE  CUEIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

liance  upon  Ms  zaztun,  or  " clear  stone."  This  may  be 
a  quartz  crystal,  or  else  some  other  translucent  stone; 
but  in  order  to  serve  for  divining  purposes  it  must  be 
sanctified  according  to  special  rites,  gum-copal  being 
burned  before  it,  and  certain  magic  formulas  recited, 
which  have  been  transmitted  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion in  an  archaic  dialect.  When  thus  rendered  fit  for 
use,  the  diviner  claims  to  be  able  to  see  in  the  depths  of  the 
crystal  the  whereabouts  of  lost  articles,  and  also  what 
absent  persons  are  doing  at  the  time  he  maies  his  obser- 
vation. Not  only  this,  but  the  future  is  also  laid  bare 
before  his  eyes.  As  these  stones  are  supposed  to  possess 
such  miraculous  powers  we  need  not  be  surprised  that 
one  of  them  should  be  found  in  almost  every  village  in 
Yucatan.36 

The  Apache  medicine-men  are  also  fully  persuaded 
that  crystals  possess  the  virtue  of  inducing  visions,  and 
they  have  used  them  for  the  purpose  of  finding  lost  prop- 
erty.   To  aid  in  the  recovery  of  stolen  ponies  is  one  of 
the  most  important  tasks  of  the  Apache  medicine-man, 
and  to  this  end  his  crystal  offers  great  assistance.    Capt. 
John  Gr.  Burke  relates  that  he  made  a  great  friend  of  a 
medicine-man  named  Na-a-ehe  by  giving  him  a  large 
crystal  of  denticulated  spar,  much  superior  to  the  crystal 
he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  using  for  his  visions.    That 
this  was  thoroughly  satisfactory  to  the  medicine-man 
at  least,  is  shown  by  his  statement  to  Capt.  Burke  that 
by  looking  into  his  crystal  he  could  see  everything  he 
wanted  to  see.    Of  the  way  this  came  about  he  did  not 
attempt  any  explanation.37 

*Brinton,  "Essays  of  an  Americanist/*  Philadelphia,  1890,  p.  165. 
31  Burke,  "  The  Medicine-men  of  the  Apache/'  Ninth  Annual  Report 
of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology,  1887-1888,  Washington,  1892,  p.  461. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        203 

The  magic  power  supposed  to  dwell  within  rock-crys- 
tal has  been  recognized  in  a  peculiar  way  by  some  natives 
of  New  South  Wales.  They  have  the  barbarous  custom 
of  knocking  out  one  or  more  of  the  front  teeth  of  their 
boys  at  the  obligatory  initiation  ceremonies,  and  on  one 
occasion  Dr.  Howitt  was  entrusted  with  the  care  of  a 
number  of  these  teeth,  which  are  believed  to  preserve  a 
certain  undefined  connection  with  the  health  and  fortunes 
of  their  former  possessors,  and  on  this  account  great 
fear  was  expressed  lest  the  custodian  should  place  the 
precious  teeth  in  the  same  bag  with  some  rock-crystals, 
for  the  natives  thought  that  the  magic  power  of  these 
crystals  would  injuriously  affect  the  teeth,  and  through 
them  the  boys,  from  whose  jaws  they  had  been  broken.38 

In  a  paper  entitled  "The  Origin  of  Jewelry,"  read 
before  the  British  Association,  Professor  W.  Eidgeley 
says: 

Australians  and  tribes  of  New  Guinea  use  crystals  for  rain-making, 
although  they  cannot  bore  them,  and  this  stone  is  a  powerful  amulet 
in  Uganda  when  fastened  into  leather.  Sorcerers  in  Africa  carry  a 
small  bag  of  pebbles  as  an  important  part  of  their  equipment.  So 
it  was  in  Greece.  The  crystal  was  used  to  light  the  sacrificial  fire  and 
was  so  employed  in  the  church  down  to  the  fifteenth  century.  Egyp- 
tians used  it  largely  under  the  XII  Dynasty,  piercing  it  along  its  axis 
after  rubbing  on3  the  pyramid  points  of  the  crystal,  sometimes  leaving 
the  natural  six  sides,  or  else  grinding  it  into  a  complete  cylinder. 
From  this  bead  came  the  artificial  cylindrical  glass  beads  made  later 
by  the  Egyptians. 

Professor  Eidgreley  believes  that  the  primary  use  of 
all  these  objects  was  because  of  their  supposed  magic 
powers.  He  holds  the  same  view  in  regard  to  cylinders 
and  rings,  considering  that  the  use  of  these  as  signets 

18  Fraser,  "  The  Golden  Bough/'  pt.  i,  "  The  Magic  Art,"  vol.  i,  Lon- 
don, 1911,  p.  176. 


204     THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

only  became  habitual  at  a  later  time,  and  he  finds  a  proof 
of  this  theory  in  the  fact  that  unengraved  Babylonian 
cylinders  and  Mycenean  gems  have  been  discovered. 
This  is,  of  course,  perfectly  true,  but  does  not  in  the 
least  prove  that  such  ornaments  may  not  have  been  orig- 
inally worn  simply  for  purposes  of  adornment;  unques- 
tionably, the  custom  of  engraving  them  so  as  to  render 
them  signets  must  have  arisen  at  a  much  later  date. 

Flacourt  stated  that  the  natives  of  Madagascar  used 
crystals  to  aid  them  in  divining.  These  stones,  which 
were  said  to  have  fallen  from  heaven,  were  attached  to 
the  corners  of  the  boards  whereon  the  sorcerers  produced 
their  geomantic  figures.39  Here,  however,  the  crystals 
were  not  directly  used,  but  were  only  supposed  to  attract 
influences  propitious  to  the  diviner's  efforts. 

In  the  notes  to  the  1888  edition  of  the  Chinese  crim- 
inal code,  some  curious  details  are  given  of  a  practice 
called  Tuan-kuang-fuchou  (the  magic  of  the  round  glit- 
tering). While  this  designation  certainly  seems  to  indi- 
cate the  use  of  a  polished  sphere  of  some  description, 
the  details  given  refer  to  a  different  practice.  We  are 
told  that  when  anything  was  stolen  appeal  was  sometimes 
made  to  a  certain  Sun-  Yuan  iSheng,  who  would  then 
hang  up  a  piece  of  white  paper  and  utter  a  spell,  while 
a  boy  gazed  upon  the  paper  until  he  saw  the  figure  of  the 
thief.  This  magician  was  punished  for  carrying  on  an 
unlawful  practice.40 

The  Mexicans  made  images  of  their  god  Tezcatlipoca 
of  obsidian,  and  the  name  of  this  divinity  is  interpreted 
as  signifying  "shining  mirror."  This  is  supposed  to 
refer  to,  or  to  have  been  expressed  by,  the  brilliant  effect 


"The  Making  of  Beligion,"  London,  1898,  pp.  91-92. 
0  Thomas,  "  Crystal  Gazing,"  London,  1905,  p.  48. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING   205 

of  the  polished  surface  of  the  obsidian.  Mirrors  of  this 
material  are  said  to  have  been  used  for  divination  in  an- 
cient Mexico  and  the  neighboring  countries.41  One  of 
these  Mexican  mirrors  seems  to  have  been  employed  by 
Dr.  Dee  in  his  experiments  in  crystal  vision. 

A  remarkable  series  of  tests  in  the  art  of  scrying, 
given  in  the  presence  of  Lane,  the  great  Arabic  scholar, 
and  translator  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  illustrates  the  falli- 
bility of  most  of  the  evidence  adduced  in  such  matters, 
for,  at  first,  Lane  was  strongly  impressed  by  the  exhibi- 
tion. Although  no  crystal  was  used,  the  process  of  scry- 
ing was  precisely  the  same  as  in  crystal-gazing, — that  is 
to  say,  the  vision  calted  for  by  the  visitors  was  seen  by 
the  scryer  on  a  polished  surface.  The  master  of  cere- 
monies was  an  Arab  magician,  though,  of  course,  he  did 
not  do  the  scrying  himself,  but  employed  a  boy  for  this 
purpose,  for  it  is  generally  thought  that  half -grown  boys 
or  girls  are  more  receptive.  Although  Lane  himself  was 
perfectly  familiar  with  Arabic,  an  interpreter  was  always 
present  in  the  interest  of  the  other  Europeans  who  as- 
sisted at  the  experiments. 

After  invoking  many  mysterious  geniuses  and  burn- 
ing incense  and  scraps  of  paper  inscribed  with  magic  for- 
mulas, tire  magician  drew  a  magic  square  on  a  large  sheet 
of  paper  and  dropped  a  quantity  of  ink  in  the  centre.  On 
this  the  boy  was  directed  to  fix  Ms  gaze,  and  after  he  had 
shown  that  he  was  thoroughly  under  the  magician's  in- 
fluence, by  describing  the  images  suggested  to  him,  the 
visitors  were  permitted  to  ask  him  questions.  The  an- 
swers were  successful  in  most  cases;  a  single  instance 
will  suffice.  When  the  boy  was  asked  to  describe  Admiral 

41  Nuttall,  "  The  Fundamental  Principles  of-  Old  and  New  World 
Civilization/7  Cambridge,  Mass.,  1901,  p.  80. 


206     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Nelson,  he  replied :  "I  see  a  man  clothed  in  a  dark  garb ; 
there  is  something  strange  about  him,  he  has  but  one 
arm."  Then,  quickly  correcting  himself,  he  added:  "No, 
I  was  mistaken,  he  has  one  of  his  arms  across  his  breast. ' ' 
This  correction  impressed  those  present  more  than  the 
first  statement,  for  it  was  well  known  that  Nelson  usually 
had  the  empty  sleeve  of  his  coat  pinned  to  his  breast. 
It  also  seemed  as  though  there  could  be  no  collusion,  for 
both  the  magician  and  the  boy  were  ignorant  of  every- 
thing English  and  evidently  knew  nothing  of  Nelson. 
Unfortunately,  however,  for  those  who  would  fain  believe 
that  there  is  something  supernatural  in  scrying,  it  was 
later  discovered  that  the  interpreter  was  a  renegade 
Scotchman,  masquerading  as  an  Arab,  and  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  he  managed  to  suggest  the  boy's  answer. 
The  fact  that  no  satisfactory  results  were  obtained  when 
this  interpreter  was  absent,  makes  this  explanation 
almost  certainly  the  correct  one. 

The  Armenians  sometimes  practised  divination  by 
watching  the  images  that  appeared,  or  were  supposed  to 
appear,  on  the  smooth  surface  of  the  waters  of  a  well, 
and  the  person  who  saw  such  images  was  called  ~kor- 
nalogli,  "he  who  looks  into  a  well."    An  Arab  woman 
living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Constantinople  enjoyed  a 
great  reputation  for  her  power  in  this  respect,  and  was 
frequently  consulted  by  Armenians  and  by  other  dwellers 
in  the  Turkish  capital.     Whoever  wished  to  question 
this  woman  regarding  the  cause  of  an  illness,  the  where- 
abouts of  stolen  objects,  etc.,  usually  took  along  a  child 
of  the  household,  and  the  actual  scrying  was  generally 
performed  by  this  child,  who  would  describe  or  identify 
the  forms  it  saw  on  the  water's  surface.    If,  however,  for 
one  reason  or  another,  no  child  was  brought,  the  witch 
herself  did  the  scrying.    In  regard  to  illness,  a  distinction 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING   207 

was  made  between  "natural"  maladies  and  those  di- 
rectly caused  by  some  spirit.  Should  the  spirit  (peri) 
supposed  to  cause  the  dire  malady  known  as  drseve,  a 
kind  of  consumption,  be  seen  to  glide  over  the  surface 
of  the  water,  the  sorceress  would  find  it  necessary  to  in- 
voke the  whole  race  of  peris  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the 
patient,  who  was  expected  to  pay  more  than  the  usual  fee 
for  this  very  special  service.42 

The  peris  of  Armenian  legend  were  sometimes  good 
and  sometimes  evil  spirits ;  in  the  former  case  these  were 
supposed  to  perform  the  functions  of  guardian  angels, 
and  every  one  was  said  to  have  a  peri  especially  dele- 
gated to  watch  over  him.  This  found  expression  in  the 
fact  that  when  one  Armenian  felt  at  first  sight  an  in- 
stinctive sympathy  for  another,  he  would  say,  "My  peri 
loves  you  dearly  (peris  cliad  siretz  Jcezi)."  In  the  con- 
trary case,  the  feeling  of  antipathy  was  also  attributed 
to  the  attitude  assumed  by  the  guardian  spirit  toward 
the  new  acquaintance.43  These  spirits  were  therefore 
supposed  to  encourage  or  discourage  greater  intimacy 
with  newcomers  in  accord  with  the  true  interests  of  those 
over  whom  they  watched. 

The  power  to  see  images  in  a  crystal  does  not  appear 
to  depend  to  any  great  extent  upon  a  morbid  nervous 
condition  of  the  seer,  for  many  of  the  most  successful 
experimenters  have  been  of  good  and  even  of  exception- 
ally vigorous  physique.  Indeed,  illness  seems  to  diminish 
or  destroy  this  power,  at  least  in  the  case  of  those  who 
are  habitually  healthy.44  This  does  not  imply  that  some 
highly  nervous  and  fcven  hysterical  individuals  have  not 

42  Teheraz,  "  Notes  sur  la  mythologie  Anneneenne,"  in  Trans,  of 
the  Ninth  Cong,  of  Orient.  (1892),  London,  1893,  vol.  ii,  p.  832. 

43  Teheraz,  1.  e.,  p.  835. 

**  Proc.  Soc,  of  Psych.  Research,  vol.  viii,  p.  470. 


208     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

been  favored  with  " crystal  visions."  Very  probably  the 
rule  here  is  the  same  as  in  ordinary  hypnotism.  Those 
persons  who  have  a  strong  will  and  sound  nerves  are 
able  to  hypnotize  themselves,  while  those  whose  nerves 
are  disordered  are  subject  to  the  hypnotic  influence  of 
others. 

A  well-known  lady  in  New  York  City,  in  conversation 
with  the  writer,  a  few  years  ago,  on  the  subject  of  crystal 
balls,  was  advised  by  him  to  try  a  ball  herself  and  see 
what  results  she  obtained.  At  the  end  of  two  years  she 
found  that  by  concentration  she  had  been  able  to  better 
her  understanding  of  herself;  and  this  effect  is  not  only 
obtainable  now  by  means  of  a  crystal  ball,  but  by  fixing 
her  gaze  upon  any  bright  object.  This  visual  fixation 
has  centred  her  whole  being  in  such  a  way  that  her  health 
has  notably  improved. 

What  are  the  laws  that  govern  the  production  of  these 
phenomena?     That  the  " visions7'  are  real  enough  has 
been  proven  time  and  again,  but  it  s'eems  almost  certain 
that  they  do  not  offer  anything  but  the  ideas  or  impres- 
sions existing  in  the  minds  or  optic  nerves  of  the  gazers. 
One  of  the  most  painstaking  students  of  the  subject,  Miss 
Goodrich-Freer,  gives  many  instances  in  proof  of  this, 
which  show  how  easy  it  would  be  for  a  less  critical  ob- 
server to  suppose  that  the  crystal  revealed  something 
unknown  to  the  gazer.    On  one  occasion  this  lady  was  at 
a  loss  to  remember  the  correct  address  of  a  friend  whose 
letter,  received  a  few  days  before,  she  had  torn  up.    She 
resorted  to  her  crystal,  and  after  a  few  minutes  saw  in 
it,  in  gray  letters  on  a  white  ground,  the  address  she  had 
forgotten.    She  mailed  her  answer  to  this  address,  and 
the  reply  came  duly  to  hand,  with  the  address  stamped 
in  gray  upon  the  white  paper  of  the  note,  which  was 


CEYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        209 

identical  with  that  she  had  first  received.45  The  visual 
impression  had  been  stirred  up  and  "  externalized "  itself 
when  she  gazed  upon  the  crystal.  We  believe  that  this 
explains  the  larger  number  of  such  visions,  and  that  the 
rest  are  only  inexplicable  because  the  scryer  has  for- 
gotten the  source  of  the  impression  that  is  projected  on 
the  surface  of  the  crystal. 

It  is  true  that  both  Miss  Goodrich-Freer  and  many 
other  crystal-gazers  note  instances  in  which  the  vision 
appears  to  represent  something  the  scryer  does  not  and 
cannot  know.  However,  even  in  these  cases,  when  care- 
fully examined,  there  is  little  difficulty  in  finding  an  ex- 
planation. Coincidence  accounts  for  much,  and  imagina- 
tion for  more,  since  it  is  not  the  vision  itself,  but  the 
memory  of  the  vision,  that  is  later  brought  into  compari- 
son with  actual  facts.  We  all  know  how  exceedingly  hard 
it  is  to  repeat,  after  a  short  lapse  of  time,  all  the  circum- 
stances and  details  of  any  occurrence.  There  is  a  natural 
growth  and  modification  of  mental  impressions,  due  to 
association  of  ideas,  and  where  there  exists  the  least  wish 
to  make  the  prophecy  accord  with  the  event,  or  the  vision 
with  the  coincident  happening,  this  growth  and  modi- 
fication will  be  in  tHe  direction  of  agreement.  This  takes 
place  quite  unconsciously,  and  the  informant  will  be  fully 
persuaded  that  all  the  circumstances  are  related  exactly 
as  they  occurred. 

The  attempt  to  identify  either  persons  or  scenes  ob- 
served by  the  scryer  with  real  persons  and  real  scenes 
unknown  to  Trim,  must  always  be  open  to  the  objection 
that  the  one  who  makes  the  identification  has  no  photo- 
graphic impression  upon  which  to  base  his  judgment,  but 
merely  the  words  of  the  scryer.  When  we  remember 

48  Proc.  of  the  Sac.  for  Psych.  Eesearch,  vol.  v,  p.  507. 
14 


210     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

what  mistakes  have  been  made  in  identifying  individuals 
from  photographs,  we  can  easily  appreciate  the  great 
chances  of  error  entailed  by  the  use  of  a  verbal  descrip- 
tion of  a  visionary  experience,  even  when  the  person 
giving  the  description  is  both  willing  and  able  to  make  it 
as  'exact  and  adequate  as  possible. 

A  very  impartial  witness,  Andrew  Lang,  states  that, 
in  the  course  of  a  series  of  experiments  he  made  in  crys- 
tal-gazing, he  saw  nothing  himself,  but  found  that  a  sur- 
prisingly large  proportion  of  those  who  tried  were  suc- 
cessful in  seeing  pictures  of  some  sort  on  the  polished 
surface.   Almost  invariably,  when  the  gazer  fixed  his  eyes 
upon  the  sphere,  it  appeared  to  grow  milky-hued  and 
then  became  black;  upon  this  dark  background  the  pic- 
tures showed  themselves.   One  of  the  scryers,  a  lady,  said 
that  as  a  child  she  had  seen  pictures  in  ink  that  she  had 
spilled  for  the  purpose.46    This  method  has  been  much 
favored  by  Orientals.   While  Lang  does  not  quite  venture 
to  ass'ert  that  all  the  " visions"  reported  to  him  were 
genuine  ones,  he  inclines  to  the  belief  that  this  was  the 
case  with  many  of  them.    Experience  has  shown,  how- 
ever, that  not  all  of  those  who  s'ee  pictures  in,  or  on,  a 
glass  or  crystal  sphere,  can  also  see  them  in  ink.47   Never- 
theless, in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  crystal  sphere  is  said 
to  appear  black  to  the  eye  before  the  pictures  are  seen, 
it  would  seem  that  some  naturally  black  surface  would 
be  particularly  adapted  for  the  purpose. 

An  interesting  point  regarding  the  phenomena  of 
crystal-gazing  is  the  effect  produced  by  magnification 
upon  the  images  seen  in,  or  on,  the  crystal  ball.  As  to 

"Thomas,  "Crystal  Gazing,"  London,  1908,  Lang's  preface,  pp, 

XI*  Xll. 

*7  Thomas,  1.  e.,  p.  xxi. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GLAZING       211 

this  matter  there  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion, 
for,  while  sonre  experimenters  assert  that  the  interposi- 
tion of  a  magnifying-glass  enlarges  the  image,  others 
have  not  remarked  any  difference  in  its  size  under  these 
conditions.  Indexed,  one  of  the  most  critical  witnesses, 
Mrs.  A.  W.  Verrall,  declares  that  her  vision  entirely 
disappeared  when  she  held  a  magnifying-glass  before  her 
eyes.  On  tire  other  hand,  we  have  the  case  of  a  subject 
who  had  been  told,  while  in  the  hypnotic  state,  that  he 
would  see  a  play-bill  on  the  crystal  When  he  was  awak- 
ened and  the  crystal  ball  was  placed  before  him,  he  said 
that  he  could  see  only  detached  letters,  but  when  he 
looked  through  a  magnifying-glass  he  saw  all  the  letters 
distinctly  and  read  the  name  of  the  play,  in  perfect  accord 
with  the  suggestion.48 

This  image  may  have  been  reflected  from  some  part  of 
the  room  where  the  gazer  had  not  noticed  it,  and  may 
have  been  either  before  or  behind  the  operator.  The 
magnifying-glass  would  naturally  make  the  small,  con- 
densed letters  legible,  as  a  play-bill  would  be  many  times 
larger  than  a  crystal  ball,  and  its  minute  image  natu- 
rally too  small  to  read,  being  reduced  by  the  circular 
surface. 

Usually,  however,  the  image  is  not  on  the  surface  of 
the  crystal,  but  in  the  beholder's  eye;  therefore  when 
this  image  appears  more  clearly  under  magnification, 
the  result  is  due  to  the  expectation  of  the  gazer  based 
upon  his  experience  of  an  invariable  rule.  This  acts 
as  a  stimulus  upon  the  visual  function,  which  must  be 
in  an  exceedingly  sensitive  state  to  produce  visions  at 
all.  When,  however,  no  result  or  a  negative  result  fol- 
lows the  use  of  the  glass,  then  we  can  safely  assume  that 

48  Proc.  of  the  Soc.  for  Psych.  Research,  vol.  viii,  p.  473. 


212     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PBECIOUS  STONES 

the  gazer  was  naturally  of  a  critical  turn  of  mind,  and 
was  disposed  to  distrust  sensual  impressions ;  hence  the 
glass  became  a  disturbing  influence,  interfering  with  or 
even  completely  obliterating  tire  eye-picture. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  establish  distinc- 
tions between  the  different  materials  used  for  crystals, 
proceeding  on  the  theory  that  subtle  emanations  from 
them  affected  the  gazer  and  played  an  important  part  in 
producing  the  desired  vision.  That  the  beryl  produced  a 
greater  number  of  these  visions  than  any  other  mineral 
was  the  old  belief  which  is  still  upheld  in  some  Quarters 
to-day;  one  scryer,  indeed,  asserts  that  his  clearest  and 
most  satisfactory  visions  were  seen  in  a  cube  of  blue 
beryl,  the  beautiful  color  appearing  to  dispose  the  soul 
to  a  harmonious  unfolding  of  its  latent  aptitudes.49 

Among  the  instructions  given  to  a  would-be  crystal 
gazer,  the  question  of  a  proper  and  wholesome  diet  is 
not  overlooked,  as  anything  which  tends  to  disturb  the 
serenity  of  the  organism  will  also  interfere  with  the  due 
exercise  of  the  special  clairvoyant  faculty  that  expresses 
itself  in  crystal  visions.    A  curious  special  recommen- 
dation made  by  one  of  the  exponents  of  the  art  is  that 
good  results  can  be  had  by  drinking  an  infusion  of  mug- 
wort    (Artemisia  vulgaris),  or   of  chicory    (CicJiorium 
inty'bus),  because  of  their  tonic  and  antibilious  qualities. 
Moreover,  we  are  told  that  these  herbs  are  under  the 
influence  of  the  zodiacal  sign  Libra,  the  sign  controlling 
the  virtues  of  the  beryl.50    Above  all  the  portion  of  the 
lunar  month  when  the  moon  is  on  the  increase  is  said 
to  be  far  the  best  season  for  scrying,  as  the  old  astrolo- 
gers recognized  an  affinity  between  the  moon  and  rock- 
crystal. 

49 Shepharial,  "The  Crystal  and  the  Seer/'  London  [1900?],  p.  14. 
80 John  Melville,  "Crystal  Gazing,"  London,  1910,  pp.  20,  21. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        213 

The  claim  is  made  that  the  adept  at  crystal-gazing 
can  determine  by  the  apparent  difference  in  proximity  of 
the  visions  whether  they  refer  to  the  present  or  to  a  more 
or  less  remote  past  or  future,  that  is  to  say,  are  nearer 
or  farther  removed  in  time  from  the  period  when  the 
vision  appears.  The  distinction  between  past  and  future 
is  admitted  to  offer  greater  difficulty  and  a  decision  as  to 
this  point  must  depend  upon  a  kind  of  intuitive  and  unde- 
fined impression  on  the  part  of  the  scryer. 

Those  who  have  made  a  sympathetic  study  of  crystal- 
gazing  recognize  that  the  "  visions "  seen  in  or  on  the 
crystal  differ  according  to  the  mental  and  psychic  tem- 
perament of  the  scryer.  Two  broad  distinctions  are 
sometimes  established,  the  one  class  comprising  those 
whose  mental  attitude  is  a  "positive"  one  while  the  sec- 
ond class  includes  the  "passive"  subjects.  In  the  former 
case  the  crystal  visions  are  more  apt  to  be  symbols  denot- 
ing some  past  or  future  event  than  a  clear  picture  of  the 
event  itself,  the  mentality  of  the  "positive"  subject  be- 
ing, perhaps,  too  strong  merely  to  mirror  the  image  cast 
upon  it.  Instead  of  so  doing  it  transforms  the  impression 
received  from  this  image  into  some  symbolic  form.  This 
process  is  not,  however,  consciously  done,  but  the  scryer 
of  this  type  is  supposed  nevertheless  to  have  an  instinc- 
tive appreciation  of  the  fact  that  what  he  sees  is  purely 
and  simply  a  symbol,  and  he  proceeds  to  interpret  this 
in  accord  with  certain  generally  received  rules,  or  in 
accord  with  his  own  personal  experience. 

The  passive  subject  on  the  other  hand  is  more  apt  to 
see  a  clear  and  definite  picture  of  the  persons  or  events 
revealed  to  him.  Sometimes  that  picture  is  distinctly 
perceptible' on  or  about  the  surface  of  the  crystal,  while 
at  other  times  the  visual  perception  will  be  rather  indefi- 
nite and  clouded,  although  accompanied  by  a  strong  men- 


214     THE  CUEIOUS  LOEE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

tal  impression  in  itself  equivalent  to  that  which  wonld 
have  been  induced  by  an  actual  and  objective  vision.51 

The  proper  use  of  the  crystal  is  the  prime  factor  in 
the  art  of  scrying  and  great  attention  is  paid  to  this  point 
by  all  those  who  treat  seriously  of  the  subject.  Among 
other  things  they  recognize  that  freedom  from  pain,  or 
even  from  a  sense  of  physical  discomfort,  is  quite  essen- 
tial, for  the  mind  must  assume  a  purely  passive  and 
receptive  attitude,  and  not  be  forced  to  take  cognizance 
of  bodily  discomfort  Moreover  the  nervous  system  must 
be  in  repose,  for  which  reason  a  reasonable  time  should 
be  allowed  to  lapse  after  taking  a  meal,  before  trying  for 
crystal  visions.52 

An  author  on  "psychomancy"  affirms  that  fixing  the 
gaze  upon  a  crystal  ball  is  one  of  the  very  best  means  of 
bringing  out  the  latent  faculty  of  astral  vision,  and  he 
finds  a  reason  for  this  in  the  atomic  structure,  the  molecu- 
lar arrangement  of  the  material.  He  does  not,  however, 
impart  any  definite  information  as  to  what  special  struc- 
tural characteristics  render  glass  or  rock-crystal  particu- 
larly efficient  in  this  direction.53  The  help  that  may  be 
derived  from  crystal-gazing  by  those  who  are  striving  to 
pierce  the  veil  that  separates  the  "real  life"  about  us 
from  that  spiritual  life  which  is  so  much  more  real  for 
those  who  believe  in  it,  is  also  admitted  by  many.54 

"We  cannot  refrain  from  citing  here  the  words  spoken 
by  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  at  Birmingham,  Sept.  10, 1913,  before 
the  British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 

51  Shepharial,  "The  Crystal  and  the  Seer,"  London  [1900?]  pp. 
11-13, 

03  Melville,  "  Crystal  Gazing,"  London,  1910,  p.  47. 

53  Atkinson,  "  Practical  Psyehomancy  and  Crystal  Gazing,"  Chicago 
[1908],  p.  46. 

w  See  Leadbeater,  «  The  Astral  Plane,"  London,  1910,  p.  14. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING   215 

affirming  his  conviction,  as  a  result  of  scientific  investiga- 
tion of  occult  phenomena,  "that  memory  and  affection 
are  not  limited  to  that  association  with  matter  by  which 
alone  they  can  manifest  themselves  here  and  now,  and 
that  personality  persists  beyond  bodily  death/' 

One  of  the  latest  types  of  glass  balls  for  crystal-gaz- 
ing has  a  small,  circular,  flat  surface  on  the  sphere.  This 
may  possibly  be  of  service  in  furnishing  a  better  field  for 
the  expected  vision,  and  may  also  lessen  the  troublesome 
and  baffling  reflections  which  interfere  so  seriously  with 
the  projection  of  the  mental  picture. 

A  method  that  has  been  recommended  to  crystal- 
gazers  is  to  place  the  crystal  on  a  table,  protect  it  from 
the  reflections  of  surrounding  objects  by  means  of  a 
velvet  screen,  and  set  seven  candlesticks  with  wax  tapers 
in  front  of  the  screen.  The  tapers  are  then  to  be  lighted, 
the  room  being  otherwise  in  perfect  darkness,  and  the 
would-be  scryer  is  to  seat  himself  comfortably  before 
the  table,  laying  his  hands  flat  upon  it,  and  to  gaze  fixedly 
upon  the  crystal  for  half  an  hour  or  longer.  The  light 
from  the  tapers  will  certainly  ensure  a  multitude  of  light 
points  in  the  crystal.  That  the  molecules  forming  the 
sphere  may  always  remain  en  rapport  with  the  gazer, 
he  is  advised  to  put  it  beneath  his  pillow  when  retiring 
to  rest.55 

The  crystal  gazer  is  strongly  advised  by  some  to  limit 
the  duration  of  his  experiment  at  first  to  five  minutes, 
during  which  he  is  to  avoid  thinking  of  anything  in  par- 
ticular while  keeping  his  eyes  fixed  intently  upon  the 
ball,  but  without  any  undue  straining  of  attention.  Should 
the  eyes  "water"  after  the  test  is  concluded,  this  is  to 
be  regarded  as  an  indication  that  the  gazer  has  persisted 

wVerner,  "How  to  Know  Your  Future,"  London  [1910?],  p.  16. 


216     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

too  long;  for  brain-fag  is  to  be  strictly  avoided,  as  such 
a  state  depresses  instead  of  arousing  the  hidden  and 
higher  psychic  faculties.    Even  after  considerable  prac- 
tice, the  scrying  should  not  be  carried  on  for  more  than  a 
few  minutes  at  a  time.    The  faculty  of  visualization  plays 
a  most  important  part  in  crystal-gazing.      The  image 
thought  to  be  seen  on,  before,  or  behind  the  surface  of 
the  crystal,  is  in  its  essence  a  fancied  projection  of  a 
purely  mental  image  conceived  in  the  brain;  such  an 
image  as  is  present  to  the  consciousness  of  many  when 
they  call  to  mind  a  scene  of  some  vivid  past  experience, 
or  the  face  of  someone  they  have  known,  and  see  it  as  an 
element  of  consciousness.    When  it  is  possible  to  exter- 
nalize this  interior  vision,  then  we  have  at  least  a  begin- 
ning of  successful  scrying.    That  it  may  go  far  beyond 
this,  that  it  may  reveal  to  the  gazer  events  happening 
in  some  distant  place,  or  even  events  yet  to  transpire  in 
the  dim  future,  is  often  claimed.    An  acceptance  of  this 
claim  must  depend  largely  upon  our  attitude  toward 
premonitions  and  prophecies  in  general.    Here,  as  in  the 
simple  picture  evolved  by  an  image  of  the  past,  the  crys- 
tal is  merely  the  background  upon  which  are  cast  the 
mind-pictures  or  soul-pictures  arising  within  our  being.56 
A  use  of  crystal  gazing  to  aid  literary  composition 
has  been  reported  in  the  case  of  an  English  authoress  of 
note,  who,  if  she  lost  the  thread  of  the  story  she  was 
writing,  would  resort  to  her  crystal,  and  would  see  mir- 
rored therein  the  scenes  and  personages  of  her  tale,  the 
latter  carrying  on  the  plot  in  dramatic  action.     Aided 
by  this  suggestion  she  was  able  to  resume  her  composi- 
tion and  successfully  terminate  her  story. 

55  See  Hereward  Carrington's  Correspondence  Course  of  Instruction 
in  Psychic  Development,  Lesson  24,  New  York,  1912. 


CRYSTAL  BAT.L,   SUPPORTED   BY  BRONZE  DRAGON.      JAPANESE. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CfiYSTAE  GAZING        217 

In  Japan  the  smaller  rock-crystals  were  believed  to 
be  the  congealed  breath  of  tire  White  Dragon,  while  the 
larger  and  more  brilliant  ones  were  said  to  be  the  saliva 
of  the  Violet  Dragon.  As  the  dragon  was  emblematic 
of  the  highest  powers  of  creation,  this  indicates  the  es- 
teem in  which  the  substance  was  held  by  the  Japanese, 
who  probably  derived  their  appreciation  of  it  from  the 
Chinese.  The  name  suisho,  used  both  in  China  and 
Japan  to  designate  rock-crystal,  reflects  the  idea  current 
in  ancient  times,  and  repeated  even  by  seventeenth 
century  writers,  that  rock-crystal  was  ice  which  had  been 
so  long  congealed  that  it  could  not  be  liquefied. 

For  the  Japanese,  rock-crystal  is  the  "perfect  jewel/7 
tama;  it  is  at  once  a  symbol  of  purity  and  of  the  infinity 
of  space,  and  also  of  patience  and  perseverance.  This 
latter  significance  probably  originating  from  an  obser- 
vation of  the  patience  and  skill  shown  by  the  accurate 
and  painstaking  Japanese  cutters  and  polishers  of  rock- 
crystal. 

A  crystal  ball,  one  of  the  largest  perfect  spheres  ever 
produced,  has  been  made  from  rock-crystal  of  Madagas- 
car. It  is  a  very  perfect  sphere  and  of  faultless  material. 
The  diameter  is  6%  inches  and  the  ball  was  held  at  about 
$20,000. 

Many  fine  crystal  balls  are  made  in  Japan,  the  mate- 
rials being  found  in  large,  clear  masses  in  the  mountains 
on  the  islands  of  Nippon  and  Fusiyama  and  also  in  the 
granitic  rocks  of  Central  Japan.  It  is  stated,  however, 
that  much  of  the  Japanese  material  really  comes  from 
China.  The  Japanese  methods  of  working  rock-crystals 
are  extremely  simple  and  depend  more  upon  the  skill  and 
patience  of  the  workers  than  upon  the  tools  at  their  com- 
mand. Our  illustration,  taken  from  a  sketch  made  by  an 
Oriental  traveller,  shows  the  process  of  manufacturing 


218     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

crystal  balls.     The  rough  mass  of  crystal  is  gradually 
rounded  by  careful  chipping  with  a  small  steel  ha.TnTn.er. 
With  the  aid  of  this  tool  alone  a  perfect  sphere  is  formed. 
The  Japanese  workmen  thoroughly  understand  the  frac- 
ture of  the  mineral,  and  know  just  when  to  apply  chipping 
and  when  hammering.    The  crystal,  having  been  reduced 
to  a  spherical  form,  is  handed  to  a  grinder,  whose  tools 
consist  of  cylindrical  pieces  of  cast  iron,  about  a  foot 
in  length,  and  full  of  perforations.    These  cylinders  are 
of  different  curvatures,  according  to  the  size  of  the 
crystal  to  be  ground.    Powdered  emery  and  garnet  are 
used  for  the  first  polishing.    Plenty  of  water  is  supplied 
during  the  process,  and  the  balls  are  kept  constantly 
turning,  in  order  to  secure  a  true  spherical  surface. 
Sometimes  they  are  fixed  on  the  end  of  a  hollow  tube  and 
kept  dexterously  turning  in  the  hand  until  smooth.    The 
final  polishing  is  effected  with  crocus  or  rouge  (finely 
divided  hematite),  giving  a  splendid  lustrous  surface. 
As  hand  labor  is  exclusively  used,  the  manufacture  of 
crystal  objects  according  to  the  Japanese  nrethods  is  ex- 
tremely laborious  and  slow.57 

In  Germany  and  France  and  in  the  United  States,  the 
fabrication  of  rock-crystal  is  accomplished  almost  en- 
tirely by  machinery.  The  crystal  to  be  shaped  into  a  ball 
is  placed  against  a  semicircular  groove  worn  in  huge 
grindstones.  This  is  illustrated  in  the  case  of  the 
method  practised  in  Oberstein,  Germany.  The  workman 
has  his  feet  firmly  braced  against  a  support,  and,  resting 
upon  his  chest,  presses  the  crystal  against  the  revolving 
grindstone.  It  is  unnecessary  to  add  that  the  practice  is 

67  Kunz,  "  The  Occurrence  and  Manipulation  of  Rock  Crystal/7  Scien- 
tific American,  vol.  Iv,  pp.  103,  104  (Aug.  14,  1886).  Trans.  K  Y. 
Acad.  Sciences,  May  30,  1S86. 


By  permission  of  the  "  Scieatific  American." 

METHOD  OF  GRINDING  CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  OTHER  HARD  STONF 
OBJECTS  IN  GERMANY  AND  FRANCE. 


By  permission  of  the  "  Scientific  American.'  * 

J  \PANESE  METHOD  OF  CHIPPING,  GRINDING  AND  POLISHING 
ROCK-CRYSTAL  BAJ^LS. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING        219 

extremely  unwholesome  and  develops  early  consumption 
among  the  workers.  A  constant  stream  of  water  is  kept 
flowing  over  the  stone  so  that  the  crystal  shall  always  be 
moist,  as  the  friction  would  otherwise  hurt  it,  and  the 
subsequent  addition  of  water  would  be  liable  to  cause  a 
fracture.  The  final  polishing  is  done  on  a  wooden  wheel 
with  tripoli,  or  by  means  of  a  leather  buffer  with  tripoli 
or  rouge.58 

There  are  three  fine  crystal  balls  in  the  collection  of 
the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.  One,  appar- 
ently perfect,  measures  5%  inches  in  diameter  and  was 
cut  from  a  crystal  found  in  Mokolumne,  Calaveras  Co., 
California;  the  second  is  6%  inches  in  diameter  and  is 
from  the  same  locality,  but  not  entirely  perfect.  These 
were  shown  in  the  department  of  the  Tiffany  Collection 
prepared  by  the  author,  and  were  exhibited  at  the  Paris 
Exposition  of  1900  as  part  of  the  J.  Pierpont  Morgan 
gift  to  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.  An- 
other fine  crystal  ball  is  now  to  be  seen  in  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York ;  this  was  donated 
to  the  institution.  It  measures  4n/16  inches  in  diameter, 
is  of  wonderful  purity,  and  the  cutting  has  been  executed 
with  such  a  high  degree  of  precision  that  an  ideally  per- 
fect sphere  has  been  produced.59 

Crystal  balls  have  been  found  occasionally  in  tombs 
or  in  funerary  urns,  and  their  presence  in  sepulchres 
may  perhaps  be  considered  to  have  been  due  to  a  belief 
that  they  possessed  certain  magic  properties.  In  the 
tomb  of  Childeric  (ca.  436-481  A.D.),  the  father  of  Clovis, 
a  rock-crystal  sphere  was  found  which  was  for  a  time 
preserved  in  the  Bibliotheque  Eoyale,  Paris,  and  later  in 

58  Kunz,  "  The  Occurrence  and  Manipulation  of  Kock  Crystal." 
w  Gratacap,  "  The  Mystic  Crystal  Sphere,"  in  the  American  Museum 
Journal,  January,  1913,  p,  24;  plate  on  p.  22. 


220     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 


tne  Louvre  Museum  ;  it  measures  1}^  inches  in  diameter.60 
The  chance  discovery  of  a  number  of  crystal  balls  is  re- 
lated by  Montfaucon.  Towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  the  canons  of  San  Giovanni  in  Laterano,  Borne, 
wished  to  have  some  repairs  made  to  a  house  they  owned, 
just  outside  of  the  city  walls,  and  sent  thither  some  work- 
men with  the  order  to  break  up  or  remove  two  large, 
superimposed  stones,  which  were  much  in  the  way.  The 
workmen  proceeded  to  break  the  upper  stone,  but  were 
much  astonished  to  find  embedded  within  it  an  alabaster 
funerary  urn  with  its  cover.  This  had  been  hidden  be- 
tween the  two  stones,  a  space  for  its  reception  having 
been  hollowed  out  in  the  upper  and  lower  stones,  so  that 
it  fitted  within  them.  Opening  the  urn  there  were  found 
inside,  mingled  with  the  ashes,  twenty  crystal  balls,  a 
gold  ring  with  a  stone  setting,  a  needle,  an  ivory  comb, 
and  some  bits  of  gold  wire.  The  presence  of  the  needle 
was  taken  to  indicate  conclusively  that  the  ashes  were 
those  of  a  woman.61 

The  discovery  of  the  tomb  of  Childeric  was  made, 
May  27,  1653,  by  a  deaf-mute  mason,  named  Adrien 
Quinquin,  while  he  was  excavating  for  the  restoration  of 
one  of  the  dependencies  of  the  church  of  Saint  Brice  de 
Tournai.  One  of  the  most  interesting  objects  found  in 
the  tomb  was  the  golden  signet  of  Ohilderic  bearing  his 
head  and  the  legend  Childerici  regis.  The  earliest 
description  is  given  in  a  work  by  Chiflet  entitled  "Anas- 
tasis  Childerici/'  "Kesurrection  of  Childeric,  "  pub- 
lished by  Plantin  of  Antwerp  in  1655.  The  various  orna- 
ments were  sent  by  the  Spanish  Grovernor-G-eneral  of  the 
Netherlands  to  the  Austrian  treasury  in  Vienna,  and 
were  not  long  afterward,  in  1664,  graciously  donated  by 

w  Montf  aueon,  Les  monnmens  de  la  monarchic  Frangaise,  Paris, 
1729,  p.  15. 

tt  Montf  aucon,  1.  c. 


ROCK-CRYSTAL  SPHERE. 

Japan,  five  inches  diameter.    Morgan  collection,  American  Museum  of  Natural  History, 

New  York. 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING   221 

Emperor  Leopold  I  to  King  Louis  XIV,  at  the  instance 
of  Johann  Philip  of  Schonborn,  Archbishop  of  Mainz, 
who  was  under  great  obligation  to  the  French  sovereign. 

In  Paris  the  various  ornaments  were  preserved  in  the 
Bibliotheque  Eoyale  until  the  night  of  November  5-6, 
1831,  when  many  of  them,  with  other  valuables,  were 
stolen  by  an  ex-convict.  Closely  pursued  by  the  police, 
the  thief  threw  his  booty  into  the  Seine ;  much  of  the  plun- 
der was  subsequently  recovered,  but  the  signet  of  Chil- 
deric  was  lost  for  ever.  The  crystal  ball  had  not  seemed 
of  sufficient  value  to  tempt  the  thief  and  was  left  undis- 
turbed; it  was  later,  in  1852,  deposited  in  the  Louvre 
Museum.62 

In  a  personal  communication  to  Abbe  Cochet  made 
in  1858  by  Mr.  Thomas  Wright,  the  latter  stated  that  he 
had  seen  at  Downing  in  Flintshire  with  Lord  Fielding 
five  crystal  balls,  bearing  labels  declaring  that  they  came 
from  the  sepulchres  of  the  kings  of  France  violated  at 
the  time  of  the  French  Revolution.  They  had  been  pur- 
chased about  1810  at  the  sale  of  the  Duchess  of  Portland's 
effects.63 

Among  the  crystal  balls  found  in  French  sepulchres 
may  be  noted  one  discovered  by  Eigollot  in  1853  at  Arras, 
and  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  that  city;  this  still  has 
the  original  gold  mounting  serving  to  attach  it  to  the 
necklace  from  which  it  had  been  worn  suspended.  An- 
other found  at  or  near  Levas  was  in  the  possession  of 
M.  Dancoise,  a  notary  of  Henin-Lietard,  dept.  Pas  de 
Calais.64  In  the  Bibliotheque  at  Dieppe  there  is  a  crystal 
ball,  32  -mm.  in  diameter,  found  at  Douvrend,  dept.  Seine- 
Inf erieure,  in  1838,  in  a  Merovingian  tomb ;  this  is  pierced 

"*  Cochet,  "Le  tombeau  de  Childerlc  ler  rod  des  Francs,"  Paris, 
1859,  pp.  16  sqq. 

M  Cochet,  op.  cit.,  p.  305. 

"  Cochet,  op.  cit.,  p.  302;  figure. 


222    THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

through.65  The  department  of  Moselle  supplied  three 
discoveries  of  this  kind,  crystal  balls  having  been  found 
in  a  tomb  at  St.  Preux-la-Montagne,  Sablon  and  Moine- 
ville  near  Briey,  the  latter  measuring  36  mm.  in 
diameter.66 

The  Saxon  tombs  of  England  have  also  furnished  a 
contingent  of  crystal  balls,  for  example  at  Chatham,  at 
Chassel  Down  on  the  Isle  of  "Wight,  where  four  were  dis- 
covered, at  Breach  Down,  Barham,  near  Canterbury,  at 
Fairford,  Gloucestershire,  and  also  in  Kent,67 

We  should  also  note  a  crystal  ball  found  in  a  funer- 
ary urn  at  Hinsbury  Hill,  Northamptonshire ; 6S  this  as 
well  as  the  one  found  at  Fairford  was  facetted.69  From 
St.  Nicholas,  Worcestershire,  is  reported  a  crystal  ball 
\y2  inches  in  diameter.70 

In  his  "Hydrotaphia,  or  Urn  Burial,"  published  in 
1658,  Sir  Thomas  Browne  (1605-1682),  author  of  the 
"Beligio  Medici,"  relates  that  there  was  at  that  time 
in  the  possession  of  Cardinal  Farnese,  an  urn  in  which, 
besides  a  number  of  antique  engraved  gems,  an  ape  of 
agate,  and  an  elephant  of  amber,  there  had  been  found 
a  crystal  ball  and  six  "nuts"  of  crystal.71 

05  Coehet,  op.  cit.,  p.  303,  No.  1. 

80  Simon,  "  Observations  sur  les  sepulchres  antiques  dec ou verts  dans 
plusieures  contrees  des  Gaules,"  p.  5 ;  pi.  ii,  fig.  14. 

"  See  Wylie's  Fairford  Graves/'  pi.  iv,  fig.  1,  pi.  v,  fig  2;  Akerman's 
"Remains  of  Pagan  Saxondom,"  Roach  Smith's  "  Collectanea  antiqua  " ; 
Douglas'  ''Nenia  Brittanica,"  and  Hillier's  "Antiquities  of  the  Isle  of 
Wight." 

w  Akerman,  op.  cit.,  p.  10. 

w  Journal  of  the  Archaeological  Institute,  vol.  ix,  p.  179. 

70Akerman,  op.  cit.,  pp.  39,  40. 

71  Miscellanies  upon  various  subjects,  by  John  Aubrey,  to  which 
is  added  "Hydrotaphia,  or  Urn  Burial/7  by  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  Lon- 
don, 1890,  p.  244;  chap,  ii 


CRYSTAL  BALLS  AND  CRYSTAL  GAZING   223 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  perfect  crystal  balls  is  in 
the  Dresden  "Grime  Grewolbe"  (Green  Vaults).  This 
weighs  15  German  pounds  and  measures  6  2/3  inches  in 
diameter;  it  was  undoubtedly  used  for  purposes  of 
augury.  Ten  thousand  dollars  was  the  price  paid  for  it 
in  1780. 

A  crystal  ball  known  as  the  Currahmore  Crystal,  be- 
cause it  is  kept  at  the  seat  of  that  name  belonging  to  the 
Marquis  of  "Waterford,  has  long  enjoyed  and  still  enjoys 
the  repute  of  possessing  magical  powers.  It  is  of  rock- 
crystal,  and  the  legend  runs  that  one  of  the  Le  Poers 
brought  it  from  the  Holy  Land,  where  it  had  been  given 
him  by  the  great  crusader  Godefroy  de  Bouillon  (1058- 
1100).  The  ball  is  a  trifle  larger  than  an  orange  and  a 
silver  ring  encircles  it  at  the  middle.  The  chief  and 
much-prized  virtue  of  this  crystal  is  its  power  to  cure 
cattle  of  any  one  of  the  many  distempers  to  which  they 
are  subject.  Its  application  for  this  purpose  is  rather 
peculiar,  for  the  cattle  are  not  touched  with  it,  but  driven 
up  and  down  a  stream  in  which  it  has  been  laid.  Not 
only  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Currahmore  is 
resort  had  to  this  magic  stone  by  the  peasants,  but  re- 
quests for  its  loan  are  often  made  from  far  distant  parts 
of  Ireland.  The  privilege  is  almost  always  accorded  and 
has  never  been  abused,  the  crystal  being  in  every  case 
conscientiously  returned  to  its  rightful  owner.72 

The  names  "ghost-crystals,"  "phantom-crystals," 
"spectre-crystals,"  "shadow-crystals,"  etc.,  are  applied 
to  a  form  of  quartz  in  which  the  crystallization  was  in- 
terrupted from  time  to  time,  so  that  in  the  transparent 
successive  layers  there  is  an  occasional  opaque  layer, 

"Lady  Wilde,  "Ancient  Legends,  Mystic  Charms,  and  Supersti- 
tions of  Ireland,"  Boston,  1888,  p.  209. 


224    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

often  no  thicker  than  the  finest  possible  dusting  of  a 
whiter  material.   Sometimes  as  many  as  fifteen  or  twenty 
of  these  successive  growths  are  observable,  one  over  the 
other.    When  these  crystals  are  in  the  natural  form,  they 
show  beautifully  from  the  sides  and  ends.    Sometimes 
such  crystals  are  found  after  they  have  been  rolled  in  the 
beds  of  mountain  torrents  until  they  have  become  entirely 
opaque,  but  when  the  surfaces  are  polished,  the  "phan- 
tom," "spectre,"  or  "ghost,"  appears  with  wonderful 
beauty.    Occasionally  the  entire  crystal  has  been  worn 
down  to  a  small  part  of  the  original  prism,  in  which  case 
it  is  cut  into  a  ball.    The  ball  may  seem  to  be  absolutely 
pure,  but  when  held  in  certain  lights  little  tent-like  mark- 
ings can  often  be  observed ;  sometimes  only  one  marking 
is  visible,  but  there  may  be  as  many  as  twenty.    These 
are  occasionally  due  to  a  layer  of  smoky  material,  and, 
though  they  add  a  charm  to  the  ball,  they  detract  from 
its  value.   Nevertheless,  crystal-gazers  may  find  an  addi- 
tional interest  when  the  "ghostly"  or  "spectral"  inte- 
rior exists  in  a  crystal  ball    This  growth  is  similar  in 
kind  to  that  seen  at  times  in  opaque  quartz,  forming  what 
is  known  as  cap-quartz;  here  the  crystallizations  can  fre- 
quently be  broken  apart  so  that  they  fit  one  over  the 
other  in  many  successive  layers.    Occasionally  the  reg- 
ular crystalline  development  will  be  interrupted,  as  it 
were,  and  in  place  of  the  original  crystal  continuing  its 
growth  harmoniously,  a  larger  crystal  will  form  on  a 
smaller  one,  forming  a  sort  of  mushroom,  or  "cap,"  or 
"stilt"  quartz,  as  it  is  termed. 


VII 

ages  of  tyntfow  £>tone& 
and 


use  of  stones  for  the  decoration  of  images  of  the 
gods,  and  in  religious  ceremonies,  more  especially 
in  those  connected  with  the  burial  of  the  dead,  can  be 
traced  back  to  a  remote  antiquity.  Indeed,  we  may  re- 
gard this  religious  USB  of  precious  or  peculiar  stones  as 
the  natural  development  of  the  original  idea  of  their 
talismanic  virtue.  If  a  certain  supernatural  essence  man- 
ifested itself  in  the  stone,  what  more  fit  object  could  be 
imagined  for  the  decoration  of  statues  of  the  gods,  or  to 
bear  engraved  texts  from  the  sacred  writings,  and  to  be 
placed  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead  as  "passports"  to 
ensure  the  safe  entry  of  the  souls  of  the  departed  into  the 
better  land? 

While  this  employment  of  mineral  substances  for 
religious  purposes  is  practically  universal,  the  earliest 
recorded  instances  come  from  Egypt,  and  concern  the 
Egyptian  custom  of  engraving  texts  from  a  very  ancient 
ritual  composition,  called  the  Book  of  the  Dead,  upon 
certain  semi-precious  stones  which  had  been  cut  into 
various  symbolical  forms.  This  "Book  of  the  Dead," 
composed  of  a  number  of  distinct  chapters,  'each  com- 
plete in  itself,  describes  the  passage  of  the  soul  of  the 
deceased  through  the  realm  of  tire  dead  (  Amenti)  .  Here 
the  soul  addresses  the  gods  and  other  beings  who  receive 
it,  and  the  prayers  and  invocations  recited  in  the  chap- 
ters are  supposed  to  procure  a  safe  passage  and  protec- 
tion from  all  evil  influences  or  impediments, 

15  225 


226     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

One  of  the  most  usual  of  tire  engraved  amulets  is  the 
buckle  or  tie  (thet).  This  was  generally  of  red  jasper, 
carnelian,  or  red  porphyry,  or  else  of  red  glass  or 
faience  or  of  sycamore  wood.  The  wood  was  symbolical 
of  the  blood  of  Isis,  and  the  amulets  were  sometimes  en- 
graved with  the  156th  chapter  of  the  Book  of  the  Dead; 
they  were  placed  on  the  mummy's  neck.  The  formula 
engraved  reads : 

Chapter  of  the  buckle  of  carneliaa  which  is  put  on  the  neck  of  the 
deceased. 

The  blood  of  Isis,  the  virtue  of  Isis;  the  magic  power  of  Isis, 
the  magic  power  of  the  Eye  are  protecting  this  the  Great  one;  they 
prevent  any  wrong  being  done  to  him. 

This  chapter  is  said  on  a  buckle  of  carnelian  dipped  into  the 
juice  of  ankhama,  inlaid  into  the  substance  of  the  sycamore-wood  and 
put  on  the  neck  of  the  deceased. 

Whoever  has  this  chapter  read  to  him,  the  virtue  of  Isis  protects 
him;  Horus,  the  son  of  Isis,  rejoices  in  seeing  Mm,  and  no  way  is 
barred  to  him,  unfailingly.1 

Another  amulet  is  the  tet.  The  hieroglyph  represents 
a  mason's  table  and  the  word  signifies  "firmness,  stabil- 
ity, preservation.7'  These  figures,  made  of  faience,  gold, 
carnelian,  lapis-lazuli,  and  other  materials,  were  placed 
on  the  neck  of  the  mummy  to  afford  protection.2 

The  "papyrus  scepter/'  uat,  is  usually  cut  from 
matrix-emerald  or  made  of  faience  of  similar  hue.  Vat 
means  "verdure,  flourishing,  greenness";  placed  on  the 
neck  of  the  mummy  it  was  regarded  as  emblematic  of  the 

1  Life  Work  of  Sir  Peter  le  Page  Renonf ,  Paris,  1907,  vol.  iv,  p. 
342.  In  the  vignette  to  chapter  93,  to  illustrate  the  protection  afforded, 
a,  buckle  with  human  hands  seizes  the  arm  of  the  deceased  and  prevents 
bim  from  going  toward  the  East,  the  inauspicious  direction  for  departed 
*ouls,  pi.  xxv  (Papyrus,  Louvre  iii,  93). 

3  Budge,  "  The  Mummy,"  Cambridge,  1894,  p,  259. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        227 

eternal  youth  it  was  hoped  the  deceased  would  enjoy  in 
the  realm  of  the  dead.  In  the  159th  chapter  of  the  Book 
of  the  Dead,  we  read  of  an  uat  of  matrix-emerald;  it  was 
believed  to  be  the  gift  of  Thoth,  serving  to  protect  the 
limbs  of  the  deceased.3 

The  amulet  representing  the  pillow,  urs,  was  gener- 
ally made  of  hematite.  The  166th  chapter  of  the  Book 
of  the  Dead  is  sometimes  engraved  thereon.  Dr.  Budge 
renders  this  as  follows : 

Rise  up  from  non-existence,  0  prostrate  one!  They  watch  over 
thy  head  at  the  exalted  horizon.  Thou  overthrowest  thine  enemies; 
thou  triumphest  over  what  they  do  against  thee,  as  Horns,  the  avenger 
of  his  father,  this  Osiris*  has  commanded  to  be  done  for  thee.  Thou 
cuttest  off  the  heads  of  thine  enemies;  never  shall  they  carry  off  from 
thee  thy  head(?).  Verily  Osiris  maketh  slaughter  at  the  coming 
forth  of  the  heads  of  his  enemies;  may  they  never  remove  his  head 
from  him. 

Of  all  these  amulets,  the  type  most  frequently  en- 
countered has  the  shape  of  a  heart,  ab.  These  are  found 
of  carnelian,  gre'en  jasper,  basalt,  lapis-lazuli,  and  other 
hard  materials.  The  heart,  regarded  in  ancient  Egypt 
as  the  seat  of  life,  was  the  object  of  especial  care  after 
death.  Enclosed  in  a  special  receptacle  it  was  buried 
with  the  mummy,  and  the  belief  was  that  only  after  it  had 
been  weighed  in  the  balance  of  the  underworld,  against 
the  symbol  of  law,  could  it  regain  its  place  in  the  body 
of  the  deceased.  The  heart  was  symbolically  repre- 
sented by  the  scarab.5 

A  fine  example  of  a  heart  amulet  shows  on  one  side 
the  figure  of  the  goddess  Neith  with  the  pennu  bird  or 

8 Budge,  "The  Mummy,"  Camhridge,  1894,  p.  261. 

4  The  deceased  was  identified  with  Osiris. 

5  Budge,  "  The  Mummy/'  Cambridge,  1894,  p.  263. 


228     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

phoenix,  an  emblem  of  the  resurrection,  and  bears  in- 
scribed the  chapter  of  the  heart.6 

The  following  extract  from  the  Book  of  the  Dead 
treats  of  the  formula  to  be  recited  over  a  funeral  scarab 
cut  from  a  hard  stone,  perhaps  the  lapis-laznli.  Egyptian 
tradition  assigned  this  chapter  to  the  reign  of  Semti,  the 
fifth  king  of  the  1st  Dynasty,  about  4400  B.c.7 

Chapter  of  not  allowing  a  man's  heart  to  oppose  him  in  the  divine 
regions  of  the  nether  world. 

My  heart  which  came  from  my  mother,  my  heart  necessary  for  my 
existence  on  earth,  do  not  rise  up  against  me,  do  not  testify  as  an  ad- 
versary against  me  among  the  divine  chiefs  in  regard  to  what  I  have 
done  before  the  gods;  do  not  separate  from  me  before  the  great  lord 
of  Amenti.  Hail  to  thee,  0  heart  of  Osiris,  dwelling  in  the  West! 
Hail  to  you,  gods  of  the  braided  beard,  august  by  your  sceptre !  Speak 
well  of  the  Osiris  N";  make  him  prosper  by  Nehbka.  I  am  reunited  with 
the  earth,  I  am  not  dead  in  Amenti.  There  I  am  a  pure  spirit  for 
eternity. 

To  be  said  over  a  scarabaeus  fashioned  from  a  hard  stone,  coated 
with  gold,  and  placed  on  the  heart  of  the  man  after  he  has  been 
anointed  with  oil.  The  following  words  should  be  said  over  him  as  a 
magic  charm:  "My  heart  which  came  from  my  mother,  my  heart  is 
necessary  for  me  in  my  transformations." 

Take  your  aliments,  pass  around  the  turquoise  basin,  and  go  to 
him  who  is  in  his  temple  and  from  whom  the  gods  proceed. 

The  most  ancient  inscription  of  this  especially  favorite 
text  is  on  the  plinth  of  a  scarab  in  the  British  Museum 
bearing  the  cartouche  of  Sebak-em-saf,  a  king  of  the  XIV 
Dynasty,  2300  B.C.  It  is  made  from  an  exceptionally 
fine  piece  of  green  jasper,  the  body  and  head  of  the  beetle 
being  carefully  carved  out  of  the  stone,  while  the  legs 
are  of  gold,  carved  in  relief.  The  scarab  is  inserted  into 

e  Birch,  Catalogue  of  Egyptian  Antiquities  in  Alnwick  Castle,  Lon- 
'don,  1880,  p.  224. 

TPierret,  "Le  livre  des  Morts,"  Paris,  1882,  p.  138. 


"PHANTOM  CRYSTAL"  OF  QUARTZ  (ROCK-CRYSTAL)  MADAGASCAR. 
In  possession  of  the  author. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES       229 

a  gold  base  of  tabloid  form,  and  was  found  at  Kurna 
(Thebes)  by  Mr.  Salt  As  green  jasper  was  believed  to 
possess  altogether  exceptional  virtues  as  an  amulet,  this 
particular  scarab  was  probably  regarded  as  especially 
sacred. 

It  appears  to  have  been  tire  rule  to  engrave  certain 
special  chapters  of  the  Book  of  the  Dead,  among  those 
referring  to  the  heart,  upon  particular  stones.  Thus,  for 
instance,  the  26th  chapter  was  engraved  on  lapis-laznli, 
the  27th  upon  feldspar,  the  30th  upon  serpentine,  and  the 
29th  upon  carnelian.8  This  may  perhaps  have  been 
originally  due  to  some  association  of  the  god  principally 
invoked  in  the  text  with  the  precious  substance  upon 
which  the  text  was  engraved. 

The  form  of  an  eye,  fashioned  out  of  lapis-lazuli  and 
ornamented  with  gold,  constituted  an  amulet  of  great 
power;  it  was  inscribed  with  tire  140th  chapter  of  the 
Book  of  the  Dead.  On  the  last  day  of  the  month  Mechir, 
an  offering  "of  all  things  good  and  holy"  was  to  be  made 
before  this  symbolic  eye,  for  on  that  day  the  supreme 
god  Ea  was  b'elieved  to  place  such  an  image  upon  his 
head.  Sometimes  these  eyes  were  made  of  jasper,  and 
could  then  be  laid  upon  any  of  the  limbs  of  a  mummy.9 

Of  the  image  of  Truth,  made  from  a  lapis-lazuli  and 
worn  by  the  Egyptian  high-priest,  JElian  aptly  says  that 
he  would  prefer  the  judge  should  not  bear  Truth  about 
with  him,  fashioned  and  expressed  in  an  image,  but  rather 
in  his  very  soul.10 

8 "Life  Work  of  Sir  Peter  le  Page  Renouf,"  Paris,  1907,  vol. 
iv,  p.  76,  note. 

"Ibid.,  Paris,  1907,  vol.  iv,  p.  295. 

10JEliani,  "Varia  historia,"  lib.  siv,  cap.  xxxiv,  Lug.  Bat.,  1731, 
Pars  altera,  p.  977. 


230     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  'PRECIOUS  STONES 

Among  the  Assyrian  texts  giving  the  formulae  for  in- 
cantations and  various  magical  operations,  there  is  one 
which  treats  of  an  ornament  composed  of  seven  brilliant 
stones,  to  be  worn  on  the  breast  of  the  king  as  an  amulet  ; 
indeed,  so  great  was  the  virtue  of  these  stones  that  they 
were  supposed  to  constitute  an  ornament  for  the  gods 
also.  The  text,  as  rendered  by  Fossey,,  is  as  follows : n 

Incantation.  The  splendid  stones!  The  splendid  stones!  The 
stones  of  abundance  and  of  joy. 

Made  resplendent  for  the  flesh  of  the  gods. 

The  hulalini  stone,  the  sirgarru  stone,  the  hulafa  stone,  the  sandu 
stone,  the  uknu  stone. 

The  dushu  stone,  the  precious  stone  elmtishu,  perfect  in  celestial 
beauty. 

The  stone  of  which  the  pingu  is  set  in  gold. 

Placed  upon  the  shining  breast  of  the  king  as  an  ornament. 

Azagsud,  high-priest  of  Bel,  make  them  shine,  make  them  sparkle ! 

Let  the  evil  one  keep  aloof  from  the  dwelling ! 

The  names  of  two  of  these  gems,  the  liulalu  and  the 
'hulalini,  suggest  that  they  were  of  similar  class.  As  the 
fundamental  meaning  of  the  root  whence  the  names  are 
formed  is  "to  perforate,"  it  is  barely  possible  that  we 
have  here  the  long-sought  Assyrian  designation  for  the 
pearl,  which  was  commonly  regarded  in  ancient  times  as 
a  stone.  In  Arabic  the  perforated  pearl  has  a  special 
name  to  distinguish  it  from  the  unperf orated,  or  "virgin 
pearl.57  All  we  know  of  the  sdndu  is  that  it  must  have 
been  a  dark-colored  stone.  The  uJcnu,  however,  is  almost 
certainly  the  lapis-lazuli.  It  is  often  mentioned  in  the 
Tel  el  Amarna  tablets  as  having  been  among  the  gifts 
sent  by  the  kings  of  Babylonia  and  Assyria  to  the  Pha~ 
raohs  of  Egypt,  and  also  by  the  latter  to  friendly  Asiatic 

uFossey?  "La  Magie  Assyrienne,"  Paris,  1902,  p.  301;  see  Raw- 
linson,  "  Gun.  inse.  of  West.  Asia,"  vol.  iv,  18,  No.  3. 


AMBER  HEART-SHAPED  AMULET. 
Italian,  seventeenth  century. 


AN  INSCRIBED  SCARAB  (GREEN  STONE)  OF  THE  TYPE  KNOWN  AS  A  HEART- 
SCARAB.    DATE  ABOUT  1300  B.C. 

The  Scribe  Pa-bak:  Let  him  say:  "O  Heart  that  I  received  from  my  mother  (to  be 
said  twice),  O  Heart  that  belongs  to  my  spirit,  rise  not  against  me  as  witness,  oppose  me 
not  before  the  fudges,  contradict  me  not  in  the  presence  of  the  Guardian  of  the  Scales. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        231 

monarchs.  Of  the  sirgarru  and  dusliu  stones  nothing  is 
known,  but  the  elmeshu,  the  seventh  in  the  list,  was  evi- 
dently regarded  as  the  most  brilliant  and  splendid  of  all ; 
indeed,  Prof.  Friedrich  Delitzsch  hazards  the  conjecture 
that  it  is  the  diamond.  In  any  case  this  stone  must  have 
been  set  in  rings  and  considered  very  valuable,  for  in  an 
Assyrian  text  occurs  the  following  passage:  "Like  an 
elmeshu  ring  may  I  be  precious  in  thine  eyes.'7 12  The 
fact  that  this  stone  is  described  as  having  "a  celestial 
beauty"  might  incline  us  to  believe  that  it  was  a  sap- 
phire. 

The  idea  of  this  mystic  ornament,  composed  of  seven 
gems,  probably  originated  in  Babylonia,  where  the  num- 
ber seven  was  looked  upon  as  especially  sacred.  As  we 
shall  see,  there  is  some  reason  to  attribute  a  Hindu 
origin  to  the  nine  gems,  "the  covering7'  of  the  King  of 
Tyre,  enumerated  by  Ezekiel,  while  the  breastplate  on 
the  ephod  of  the  Hebrew  high-priest,  with  its  twelve 
stones,  symbolizing  the  twelve  months  of  the  year,  ap- 
pears to  be  of  later  date,  and  seems  to  belong  to  the  time 
of  the  return  from  the  Babylonian  Captivity  and  the 
building  of  the  second  temple.  Certainly,  the  historic  and 
prophetic  books  of  the  Old  Testament  know  nothing  of 
it,  although  the  TTrim  and  Thuminim  are  mentioned  and 
the  elaborate  description  given  in  Exodus  is  generally 
regarded  by  Biblical  scholars  as  belonging  to  the  so-called 
"  Priestly  Codex, "  the  latest  part  of  the  Pentateuch, 
gradually  evolved  during  the  Exile  and  given  its  final 
form  in  the  fifth  century  B.C. 

In  the  very  ancient  Assyrio-Babylonian  epic  narrative 
of  the  descent  of  the  goddess  Ishtar  to  Hades,  the  guar- 

"Delitsch,  "  Assyrisches  Worterbueh,"  Leipzig,  1896,  p.  74,  s.  v. 
elmeshu. 


232     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

dian  of  the  infernal  regions  obliges  the  goddess  to  lay 
aside  some  part  of  her  clothing  and  ornaments  at  each 
of  the  seven  gates  through  which  she  passes.  At  the  fifth, 
we  are  told  that  she  stripped  off  her  girdle  of  aban  alddi, 
or  stones  which  aided  parturition.13  It  has  been  as- 
serted, and  perhaps  with  some  reason,  that  of  the  many 
mineral  substances  supposed  to  possess  this  virtue,  jade 
(nephrite)  or  jadeite  was  the  earliest  known. 

The  Babylonian  legends  also  tell  of  trees  on  which 
grow  precious  stones.  In  the  Grilgamesh  epic  a  mystic 
cedar  tree  is  described.  This  grew  in  the  Elamite  sanct- 
uary of  Irnina  and  was  tinder  the  guardianship  of  the 
Elamite  king  Humbaba.  Of  this  tree  an  inscription  re- 
lates : 

It  produces  samtfw-stones  as  fruit ; 

Its  boughs  hang  with  them,  glorious  to  behold ; 

The  crown  of  it  produces  lapis-lazuli; 

Its  fruit  is  costly  to  gaze  upon. 

Another  tree  bearing  precious  stones  was  seen  by  the 
hero  Grilgamesh,  after  he  had  passed  through  darkness 
for  the  space  of  twelve  hours.  This  must  have  been  a 
most  resplendent  object,  to  judge  from  the  following 
description  on  a  cuneiform  tablet: u 

It  bore  precious  stones  for  fruits; 
Its  branches  were  glorious  to  the  sight; 
The  twigs  were  crystals; 
It  bore  fruit  costly  to  the  sight. 

One  of  the  rarest  and  most  significant  specimens 
illustrating  the  use  of  valuable  stones  for  religious  cere- 

""Jansen,  "  Assyrisch-Babylonische  Mythen  und  Epen,"  Berlin, 
1900. 

"Ward,  "Seal  Cylinders  of  Western  Asia,"  Carnegie  Institution 
Pub.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  1910,  pp.  232,  234. 


BABYLONIAN  AXE  HEAD 
Agate,  with  inscription.   Morgan  collection,  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES        233 

monial  purposes  in  the  pagan  world  is  in  the  Morgan- 
Tiffany  collection.  It  is  an  ancient  Babylonian  axe-head 
made  of  banded  agate.  So  regular,  indeed,  is  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  layers  in  this  agate  that  one  might  be  justified 
in  denominating  it  an  onyx.  Its  prevailing  hue  is  what 
may  be  called  a  "deer-brown";  some  white  splotches 
now  apparent  are  evidently  due  to  the  action  of  fire  or 
that  of  some  alkali.  This  axe-head  bears  an  inscription 
in  archaic  cuneiform  characters,  and  presumably  in  the 
so-called  Sumerian  tongue,  that  believed  to  have  been 
spoken  by  the  founders  of  the  Babylonian  civilization. 
The  form  of  the  inscription  indicates  that  the  object  dates 
from  an  earlier  period  than  2000  B.C. 

While  the  characters  are  clearly  cut  and  can  be  easily 
deciphered,  the  inscription  is  nevertheless  exceedingly 
difficult  to  translate.  It  is  evident  that  the  axe-head  was 
a  votive  offering  to  a  divinity,  probably  on  the  part  of 
a  certain  governor  named  Adduggish;  but  whether  the 
divinity  in  question  was  Shamash  (the  sun-god),  or  the 
god  Adad,  or  some  other  member  of  the  Babylonian  pan- 
theon, cannot  be  determined  with  any  finality.  The 
French  assyriologist,  Frangois  Lenormant,  who  first  de- 
scribed this  axe-head  in  1879,  and  Prof.  Ira  Maurice  Price, 
of  the  (Semitic  Department  of  Chicago  University,  both 
admit  that  it  may  have  been  consecrated  to  Adad.  As 
the  weather-god,  the  thunderer,  the  axe-symbol  would 
have  been  more  especially  appropriate  to  him  in  view  of 
the  usage,  almost  universal  among  primitive  peoples,  of 
associating  stone  axe-heads  or  axe-shaped  stones  with  the 
thunderbolt,  and  hence  with  the  divinity  who  was  believed 
to  have  launched  it  toward  the  earth. 

This  Sumerian  axe-head  measures  134.5  mm.  in  length 
(5.3  inches),  35.5  mm.  in  width  (1.4 inches),  and  31  mm.  in 
thickness  (1.22  inches).  It  was  originally  secured  by; 


234    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Cardinal  Stefano  Borgia  (1731-1804),  for  some  time 
secretary  of  the  College  of  the  Propaganda  in  Borne, 
who  probably  acquired  it  from  some  missionary  to  the 
East.  From  the  cardinal's  family  it  passed  for  15,000 
lire  ($3000)  to  the  Tyszkiewicz  Collection,  and  when  the 
objects  therein  comprised  were  disposed  of  at  public 
sale,  the  writer  purchased  it  for  the  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History  in  New  York,  April  16,  1902.15 

At  Alicante,  in  Spain,  cut  upon  the  pedestal  of  an  an- 
cient statue,  supposed  to  have  been  that  of  Isis,  was 
found  an  inscription  giving  a  list  of  the  offerings  dedi- 
cated by  divine  command,  by  a  certain  Fabia  Fabiana  in 
honor  of  her  granddaughter.    Evidently  the  fond  grand- 
mother had  given  of  her  best  and  choicest  jewels  which 
were  used  to  adorn  the  statue.    They  consisted  of  a  dia- 
dem set  with  a  "unio"  (a  large  round  pearl)  and  srx 
smaller  pearls,  two  emeralds,  seven  beryls,  two  rubies, 
and  a  hyacinth.    In  each  ear  of  the  statue  was  inserted 
an  ear-ring  bearing  a  pearl  and  an  emerald;  about  the 
neck  was  hung  a  necklace  consisting  of  four  rows  of  em- 
eralds and  pearls,  eighteen  of  the  former  and  thirty-six 
of  the  latter.    Two  circlets  bound  around  the  ankles  con- 
tained eleven  beryls  and  two  emeralds,  while  two  brace- 
lets were  set  with  eight  emeralds  and  eight  pearls.    The 
adornment  was  completed  by  four  rings,  two  bearing 
emeralds,  while  two,  placed  on  the  little  finger,  were  set 
with  diamonds.    On  the  sandals  were  eight  beryls.16 

25  For  a  fuller  description  of  this  valuable  relic,  and  a  discussion  of 
the  meaning  of  the  inscription,  see  "On  the  ancient  inscribed  Sumerian 
(Babylonian)  axe-head  for  the  Morgan  Collection  in  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,"  by  George  Frederick  Kunz,  with  transla- 
tion by  Prof.  Ira  Maurice  Price  and  discussion  by  Dr.  William  Hayes 
Ward.  Bulletin  of  the  Museum,  vol.  and,  pp.  37-47,  April  6,  1905. 

"Montfaucon,  "L'antiquite  erpliquee,"  vol.  ii,  Pt  IL  1719   nn 
324,  326;  Plate  136.  *          '  FP* 


BELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES        235 

A  notable  instance  of  an  antique  votive  offering  is  the 
necklace  of  valuable  precious  stones  dedicated  to  the 
statue  of  Vesta.  The  Byzantine  historian  Zosimus  at- 
tributes the  tragic  end  of  iStilicho's  widow,  Serena,  to  her 
having  despoiled  the  image  of  Vesta  of  this  costly  orna- 
ment, and  finds  a  sort  of  poetic  justice  in  the  manner  of 
her  death,  since  she  was  strangled  by  a  cord  which  encir- 
cled her  neck. 

It  is  not  only  in  the  works  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  that  we  find  precious  stones  used  as  similes 
of  religious  virtue,  in  Buddhist  writings  also  we  have  ex- 
amples of  this.  In  the  "  Questions  of  King  Milinda," 
composed  perhaps  as  early  as  the  third  century  of  our 
era,  occur  the  following  passages : 17 

Just,  O  King,  as  the  diamond  is  pure  throughout ;  just  so,  0  King, 
should  the  strenuous  Bhikshu,  earnest  in  effort,  be  perfectly  pure  in  his 
means  of  livelihood.  This,  O  King,  is  the  first  quality  of  the  diamond 
he  ought  to  have. 

And  again,  O  King,  as  the  diamond  cannot  be  alloyed  with  other 
substance;  just  so,  0  King,  should  the  strenuous  Bhikshu,  earnest  in 
effort,  never  mix  with  wicked  men  as  friends.  This,  0  King,  is  the 
second  quality  of  the  diamond  he  ought  to  have. 

And  again,  O  King,  just  as  the  diamond  is  set  together  with  the 
most  costly  gems;  just  so,  0  King,  should  the  strenuous  Bhikshu, 
earnest  in  effort,  associate  with  those  of  the  highest  excellence,  with 
men  who  have  entered  the  first  or  second  or  third  stage  of  the  Noble 
Path,  with  the  jewel  treasures  of  the  Arahats,  of  the  recluses  of  the 
threefold  wisdom,  or  of  the  sixfold  insight.  This,  0  King,  is  the  third 
quality  of  the  diamond  he  ought  to  have.  For  it  was  said,  0  Kingy 
by  the  Blessed  one,18  the  god  over  all  gods,  in  the  Sutta  Nipata: 

Let  the  pure  associate  with  the  pure, 
Ever  in  recollection  firm; 
Dwelling  harmoniously  wise, 
Thus  shall  ye  put  an  end  to  griefs. 

17 "  The  Questions  of  King  Milinda,"  tr.  from  the  Pali  by  T.  W. 
Bays  Davids,  vol.  ii,  Oxford,  1894,  p.  128. 
18  Buddha. 


236     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PKECIOUS  STONES 

The  description  of  the  New  Jerusalem  in  the  book  of 
Eevelations  finds  a  curious  parallel  in  the  Hindu  Puranas. 
Here  we  are  told  that  the  divine  Krishna,  the  eighth  in- 
carnation of  Vishnu,  took  up  his  abode  in  the  wonderful 
city  Devaraka,  and  was  visited  there  by  the  various  or- 
ders of  gods  and  geniuses.19 

Gods,  Asuras,  Gandharas,  Eonnaras  began  to  pour  into  Dwaraka, 
to  see  Krishna  and  Valarama. 

Some  descended  from  the  sky,  some  from  their  cars — and  alighting 
underneath  the  banyan  tree,  looked  on  Dwaraka,  the  matchless. 

The  city  was  square, — it  measured  a  hundred  yojonas,  and  over 
all,  was  decked  in  pearls,  rubies,  diamonds,  and  other  gems. 

The  city  was  high, — it  was  ornamented  with  gems;  and  it  was 
furnished  with  cupolas  of  rubies  and  diamonds, — with  emerald  pillars, 
and  with  court-yards  of  rubies.  It  contained  endless  temples.  It  had 
cross-roads  decked  with  sapphires,  and  highways  blazing  with  gems. 
It  blazed  like  the  meridian  sun  in  summer. 

As  compared  with  the  description  in  Eevelations  we 
cannot  fail  to  note  the  lack  of  definiteness.  Instead  of 
the  well-ordered  scheme  of  color  as  represented  by  the 
twelve  precious  stones  dedicated  to  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel,  the  mystic  Hindu  city  is  simply  a  gorgeous  mass 
of  the  most  brilliant  gems  known  in  India. 

The  poetic  description  of  the  royal  city  Kusavati, 
given  in  the  Maha  Sudassana  Suttanta,  may  perhaps 
have  originated  in  some  tradition  regarding  Ecbatana  or 
Babylon.  Seven  ramparts  surrounded  Kusavati,  the 
materials  being  respectively  gold,  silver,  beryl,  crystal, 
agate,  coral  and  (for  the  last)  "all  kinds  of  gems." 
In  these  ramparts  were  four  gates — one  of  gold,  one  of 
silver,  one  of  crystal  and  one  of  jade — and  at  each  gate 
seven  pillars  were  fixed,  each  three  or  four  times  the 

19  Surindro  Mohun   Tagore,  "  Mani  Mala,"  Pt.  II,  Calcutta,  1881, 
pp.  715,  717. 


MANI  MALA,  OR  CHAIN   OF  GEMS. 
Comprising  diamond,   ruby,  cat's-eye,   pearl,   zircon,   coral,  emerald,  topaz,   sapphire, 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        237 

height  of  a  man  and  composed  of  the  seven  precious  sub- 
stances that  constituted  the  ramparts.  Beyond  the  ram- 
parts were  seven  rows  of  palm  trees,  the  fourth  row- 
having  trunks  of  silver  and  leaves  and  fruit  of  gold; 
then  followed  palms  of  beryl,  with  leaves  and  fruit  of 
beryl ;  agate  palms,  whose  fruit  and  leaves  were  of  coral, 
and  coral  palms,  with  leaves  and  fruit  of  agate;  lastly, 
the  palms  whose  trunks  were  composed  of  "all  kinds  of 
gems,"  had  leaves  and  fruits  of  the  same  description, 
"and  when  these  rows  of  palm  trees  were  shaken  by  the 
wind,  arose  a  sound  sweet  and  pleasant,  and  charming 
and  intoxicating."  20 

In  Greek  literature  also  there  is  a  "gem-city," — 
namely,  the  city  of  the  Islands  of  the  Blessed,  described 
by  Lucian  in  his  Vera  Historia.21  The  walls  of  this  city 
were  of  emerald,  the  temples  of  the  gods  were  formed  of 
beryl,  and  the  altars  therein  of  single  amethysts  of  enor- 
mous size.  The  city  itself  was  all  of  gold  as  a  fit  setting 
for  these  marvellous  gems. 

Hindu  mythology  tells  of  a  wonderful  tank  formed  of 
crystal,  the  work  of  the  god  Maya.  Its  bottom  and  sides 
were  encrusted  with  beautiful  pearls  and  in  the  centre 
was  a  raised  platform  blazing  with  the  most  gorgeous 
precious  stones.  Although  it  contained  no  water,  the 
transparent  crystal  produced  the  illusion  of  water,  and 
those  who  approached  the  tank  were  tempted  to  plunge 
into  it  and  take  a  refreshing  bath  in  what  appeared  to  be 
clear,  fresh  water.22 

20  Bhuddist  Suttas,  trans,  from  Pali  by  T.  W.  Rhys  Davids;  "  Sacred 
Books  of  the  East,"  vol.  xi,  Oxford,  1881. 

21  Lib.  ii,  cap.  11.    Luciani  Opera,  ex  recog.  C.  Jacobitz,  vol.  i,  Leip- 
zig, 1884,  p.  56. 

23  Surindro  Mohun  Tagore,  "  Mani  Mala,"  Pt.  II,  Calcutta,  1881, 
p.  79. 


238     THE  CmiOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

The  Kalpa  Tree  of  Hindu  religion,  a  symbolical 
offering  to  the  gods,  is  described  by  Hindu  poets  as  a 
glowing  mass  of  precious  stones.  Pearls  hung  from  its 
boughs  and  beautiful  emeralds  from  its  shoots;  the 
tender  young  leaves  were  corals,  and  the  ripe  fruit  con- 
sisted of  rubies.  The  roots  were  of  sapphire ;  the  base 
of  the  trunk  of  diamond,  the  uppermost  part  of  cat's-eye, 
while  the  section  between  was  of  topaz.  The  foliage  (ex- 
cept the  young  leaves)  was  entirely  formed  of  zircons.23 

The  Chinese  Buddhist  pilgrim  Heuen  Tsang,  who 
visited  India  between  629  and  645  A.D.,  tells  of  the  wonder- 
ful "Diamond  Throne"  which,  according  to  the  legend, 
had  once  stood  near  the  Tree  of  Knowledge,  beneath 
whose  spreading  branches  Gautama  Buddha  is  said  to  have 
received  his  supreme  revelation  of  truth.  This  throne 
had  been  constructed  in  the  age  called  the  "  Kalpa  of  the 
Sages'5;  its  origin, was  contemporaneous  with  that  of  the 
earth,  and  its  foundations  were  at  the  centre  of  all  things ; 
it  measured  one  hundred  feet  in  circumference,  and  was 
made  of  a  single  diamond.  "When  the  whole  earth  was 
convulsed  by  storm  or  earthquake  this  resplendent  throne 
remained  immovable.  Upon  it  the  thousand  Buddias  of 
the  Kalpa  had  reposed  and  had  fallen  into  the  "ecstasy 
of  the  diamond."  However,  since  the  world  has  passed 
into  the  present  and  last  age,  sand  and  earth  have  com- 
pletely covered  the  "Diamond  Throne,"  so  that  it  can 
no  longer  be  seen  by  human  eye.24 

In  the  Kalpa  Sutra,  written  in  Prakrit,  one  of  the 
sacred  books  of  the  Jains,  the  rivals  of  the  Buddhists,  it 
is  said  that  Harinegamesi,  the  divine  commander  of  the 

^Surindro  Moliun  Tagore,  "Mani  Mala/'  Pt.  II,  Calcutta,  1881, 
pp.  645,  647. 

24  Heuen  Tsang,  "Memoires  sur  les  contrees  occictentales/'  French 
trans,  by  Stanislas  Julien,  Paris,  1857,  vol.  i,  p.  461. . 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        239 

foot  troops,  seized  fourteen  precious  stones,  the  chief 
of  which  was  vajra,  the  diamond,  and  rejecting  their 
grosser  particles,  retained  only  the  finer  essence  to  aid 
him  in  his  transformations.  In  the  same  sutra  the  fol- 
lowing glowing  description  is  given  of  the  adornment  of 
the  surpassingly  beautiful  goddess  Sri:25 

On  all  parts  of  her  body  shone  ornaments  and  trinkets,  composed 
of  many  jewels  and  precious  stones,  yellow  and  red  gold.  The  pure 
cup-like  pair  of  her  breasts  sparkled,  encircled  by  a  garland  of  Kunda 
flowers  in  which  glittered  a  string  of  pearls.  She  wore  strings  of 
pearls  made  by  clever  and  diligent  artists,  strung  with  wonderful  strings, 
a  necklace  of  jewels  with  a  string  of  Dinaras,  and  a  trembling  pair  of 
earrings,  touching  her  shoulders,  diffused  a  brilliancy;  but  the  united 
beauties  and  charms  of  these  ornaments  were  only  subservient  to  the 
loveliness  of  her  face. 

As  engraved  decoration  of  a  fine  Chinese  vase  of  white 
jade  with  delicate  crown  markings,  appear  eight  storks, 
each  of  which  bears  in  its  beak  an  attribute  of  one  of  the 
Eight  Taoist  Immortals.  Thus  we  have  the  double  gourd 
as  attribute  of  the  most  powerful  of  these  demi-gods 
known  as  "Li  with  the  Iron  Crutch,"  whose  aid  is  sought 
by  magicians  and  astrologers;  the  magic  sword,  with 
which  Lu  T'ung-pin  vanquished  the  spirits  of  evil  that 
roamed  through  the  Chinese  Empire  in  the  form  of  ter- 
rible dragons;  the  basket  of  flowers,  attribute  of  Lan 
Ts'ai-ho,  the  patron  of  gardeners  and  florists;  the  royal 
fan  used  by  Han  Chung-li,  of  the  Chow  Dynasty  (1122- 
220  B.C.),  to  call  again  to  life  the  spirits  of  the  departed; 
the  lotus  flower,  emblematic  of  the  virgin  Ho  Hsien-Ku, 
venerated  somewhat  as  a  patron  saint  by  Chinese  house- 
wives, and  who  acquired  the  gift  of  immortal  life  by  the 
help  of  a  powder  of  pulverized  jade  and  mother-of-pearl; 

35  Gaina  Sutras,  trans,  from  Prakrit  by  Hermann  Jacob! ;  "Sacred 
Books  of  the  East/'  voLxxii,  Oxford,  1884,  pp.  227,  233. 


240     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  bamboo  tubes  and  rods  with  which  the  mighty  necro- 
mancer Chang  Kuo,  patron  of  artists,  evoked  the  souls 
of  the  dead;  the  flute  of  the  musicians'  patron,  Han 
Hsiang-tzu,  who  owed  his  immortality  to  his  craft  in 
stealthily  entering  the  Taoist  paradise  and  securing  a 
peach  from  the  sacred  tree  of  life;  and,  lastly,  the  casta- 
nets of  Tsao  Kuo-chin,  especially  revered  by  Chinese 
actors. 

The  prevailing  belief  in  India,  that  treasures  offered 
to  the  images  or  shrines  of  the  gods  will  bring  good  fort- 
une to  the  generous  donor,  finds  expression  in  many 
ancient  and  modern  Hindu  writings.  In  the  Eig  Veda  it 
is  said  that  "by  giving  gold  the  giver  receives  a  life  of 
light  and  glory.77  In  the  Samaveda  Upanishad  we  read: 
1  'Givers  are  high  in  Heaven.  Those  who  give  horses  live 
conjointly  with  the  sun;  givers  of  gold  enjoy  eternal  life; 
givers  of  clothes  live  in  the  moon."  Another  text 
(Haiti  Smriti)  reads : 26 

Coral  in  worship  will  subdue  all  the  three  worlds.  He  who  wor- 
ships Krishna  with  rubies  will  be  reborn  as  a  powerful  emperor;  if 
with  a  small  ruby,  he  will  be  born  a  king.  Offering  emeralds  will 
produce  Gyana  or  Knowledge  of  the  Soul  and  of  the  Eternal.  If  he 
worships  with  a  diamond,  even  the  impassible,  or  Nirvana,  that  is 
Eternal  Life  in  the  highest  Heaven,  will  be  secured.  If  with  a  flower 
of  gold  a  man  worships  for  a  month,  he  will  get  as  much  wealth  as 
Kuvera,  the  Lord  of  Rubies,  and  will  hereafter  attain  to  Nirvana  and 
to  Muskwa,  or  Salvation. 

At  Multan,  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  of  India, 
situated  in  the  Punjab,  164  miles  southwest  of  Lahore, 
there  was  in  the  Hindu  temple  an  idol  having  for  eyes 
two  great  pearls.  The  eyes  of  the  rude  image  of  Jag- 
ganath  at  Puri,  in  Bengal  (Orissa),  are  said  to  have 

^Hendley,  "Indian  Jewellery,"  London,  1909,  p.  33. 


EBLIGIOUS  USES  OF  PKECIOUS  STONES        241 

at  one  time  been  formed  of  precious  stones,  as  were  also 
those  of  the  idols  of  Vishnu  at  Chandernagore  and  in  the 
great  seven-walled  temple  at  Srirangam,  whence  appears 
to  have  come  the  Orloff  diamond. 

In  ceremonial  worship  the  Hindus  recogniz'e  sixteen 
offerings,  the  ninth  consisting  of  gems  and  jewelry,  and 
a  divine  assurance  of  adequate  return  to  the  giver  ap- 
pears in  the  Bhagavat  Purana,  where  Krishna  says, 
"Whatever  is  best  and  most  valued  in  this  world  and 
that  which  is  most  dear  to  you  should  be  offered  to  me, 
and  it  will  be  received  back  in  immense  and  endless 
quantity."  On  certain  appointed  days  the  holy  images 
are  decorated  with  the  choicest  garments  and  the  richest 
jewelry  in  the  temple  treasury;  this  is  especially  the  case 
on  the  day  celebrated  as  the  birthday  of  the  respective 
divinity.  However,  the  gifts  are  believed  to  retain  their 
sacred  character  as  dedicated  objects  only  for  a  compar- 
atively brief  period,  varying  from  a  month  or  more  for 
garments  and  vestments,  to  ten  or  twelve  years  for 
jewels,  such  as  the  naoratna  or  the  panchratna,  the 
prized  and  revered  jewels,  composed  respectively  of 
nine  and  five  gems.  The  panchratna  usually  con- 
sists of  gold,  diamond,  sapphire,  ruby,  and  pearl. 
After  the  gifts  have  ceased  to  be  worthy  of  use  in  the 
temples,  they  may  be  disposed  of  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  foundation,  including  th'e  cost  of  supporting  the 
numerous  priests  and  attendants.  As  the  objects  still 
retain  their  sacred  associations,  they  are  eagerly  bought 
by  pious  Hindus,  who  undoubtedly  regard  them  as  valu- 
able talismans.  Thus  they  not  only  serve  to  bring  bless- 
ings upon  the  donors,  but  also  constitute  one  of  the  chief 
sources  of  income  for  the  temples.27 


"  Hendley,  "  Indian  Jewellery/'  London,  1909,  pp.  33,  34. 
16 


242     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

One  of  the  oldest  and  perhaps  the  most  interesting 
talismanie  jewel  is  that  known  as  the  naoratna  or  nar- 
aratna,  the  "nine-gem"  jewel  It  is  mentioned  in  the 
old  Hindu  ratnagastras,  or  treatises  on  gems,  for  ex- 
ample, in  the  Nararatnapariksha,  where  it  is  described 
as  follows  :  28 

Manner  of  composing  the  setting  of  a  ring  : 

In  the  centre  The  Sun  The  Ruby 

To  the  East  Venus  The  Diamond 

To  the  Southeast  The  Moon  The  Pearl 

To  the  South  Mars  The  Coral 

To  the  Southwest  Rahu  The  Jacinth 

To  the  West  Saturn  The  Sapphire 

To  the  Northeast  Jupiter  The  Topaz 

To  the  North  The  descending  node       The  Cat's-eye 

To  the  Northwest  Mercury  The  Emerald 
Such  is  the  planetary  setting. 

From  this  description  we  learn  that  the  jewel  was 
designed  to  combine  all  the  powerful  astrological  influ- 
ences. The  gems  chosen  to  correspond  with  the  various 
heavenly  bodies,  and  with  the  aspects  known  as  the  as- 
eending  and  descending  nodes,  differ  in  some  cases  from 
those  selected  in  the  West,  For  instance,  the  emerald 
is  here  assigned  to  Mercury,  whereas  in  Western  tradi- 
tion this  stone  was  usually  the  representative  of  Venus, 
although  it  is  sometimes  associated  with  Mercury  also.29 
On  the  other  hand,  the  diamond  is  dedicated  to  Venus, 
instead  of  to  the  Sun  as  in  the  Western  world. 

In  the  naoratna  the  five  gems  known  to  the  Hindus  as 
the  maharatnani,  or  "  great  gems,"  —  the  diamond,  pearl, 


28 


8  Finot,  "  Les  lapidaries  indiens/'  Paris,  1896,  p.  175. 
28  Morales,  "De  las  piedras  preeiosas,"  Valladolid,  1604   (fol.  16 
verso). 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        243 

ruby,  sapphire,  and  emerald, — were,  as  we  see,  associated 
with  the  Sun  and  Moon,  Venus,  Mercury,  and  Saturn, 
wMle  the  four  lesser  gems  (uparatnani) — namely,  the 
jacinth,  topaz,  cat's-eye,  and  coral — represent  Mars, 
Jupiter,  Rahu,  and  the  descending  node.  The  two  last 
named  are  very  important  factors  in  astrological  calcu- 
lations and  are  often  called  the  Dragon's  Head  and  the 
Dragon's  Tail.  These  designations  signify  the  ascend- 
ing and  descending  nodes,  indicating  the  passage  of  the 
ecliptic  by  the  Moon  in  her  ascent  above  and  descent 
below  this  arbitrary  plane. 

In  three  somewhat  obscure  passages  of  the  Eig  Veda 
there  are  references  to  the  seven  ratnas.  Whether  these 
were  gems  cannot  be  determined,  since  the  primary 
meaning  of  the  word  ratna  is  "a  precious  object,"  not 
necessarily  a  precious  stone;  but  it  is  possible  that  we 
may  have  here  an  allusion  to  some  earlier  form  of  talis- 
man, in  which  only  the  Sun,  Moon,  and  the  five  planets 
were  represented. 

It  is  easy  to  understand  that  such  a  talisman  as  the 
naoratna,  combining  the  favorable  influences  of  all  the 
celestial  bodies  supposed  to  govern  the  destinies  of  man, 
must  have  been  highly  prized,  and  we  may  well  assume 
that  only  the  rich  and  powerful  could  own  this  talisman 
in  a  form  ensuring  its  greatest  efficacy.  For  the  Hindus 
believed  that  the  virtue  of  every  gem  depended  upon  its 
perfection,  and  they  regarded  a  poor  or  defective  stone 
as  a  source  of  unhappiness  and  misfortune. 

In  modern  times  this  talisman  is  sometimes  differ- 
ently composed.  A  specimen  shown  in  the  Indian  Court 
of  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1878  consisted  of  the  follow- 
ing stones :  coral,  topaz,  sapphire,  ruby,  flat  diamond,  cut 
diamond,  emerald,  amethyst,  and  carbuncle.  Here  the 


244     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

cut  diamond,  amethyst,  and  carbuncle  take  the  placB  of 
the  jacinth,  pearl,  and  cat's-eye. 

Instead  of  uniting  the  different  planetary  gems  in  a 
single  ring,  they  have  sometimes  been  set  separately  in  a 
series  of  rings  to  be  worn  successively  on  the  days  orig- 
inally named  after  the  celestial  bodies.  We  read  in  tire 
life  of  Apollonius  of  Tyana  (first  century  A.D.)  by  Philo- 
stratus:  "  Damis  also  relates  that  larchas  gave  to 
Apollonius  seven  rings  named  after  the  planets,  and  the 
latter  wore  these,  one  by  one,  in  the  order  of  the  week- 
days/930 Although  it  is  not  expressly  stated  that  the 
appropriate  stones  were  set  in  the  rings,  the  custom  of 
the  time  makes  it  probable  that  this  was  the  case. 

NINE  GEMS. 


English 

Sanskrit 

Burmese 

Chinese  (Canton) 

Arabic 

Diamond 

Vajra 

Chein 

Chun-syak 

Mas 

Ruby 

Manikya 

Budmiya 

Se-fla-yu-syak 

Yakut  bihar 

Cat's-eye 

Vaidurya 

Ch^no 

M&u-ji  gan 

Am  al-hirr 

Zircon 

Gomeda 

Gomok 

Pi-si 

Ha  jar  yam&nt 

Pearl 

Mukt& 

Pa-le 

Chun-ti 

Lulu 

Coral 

Pravala 

Tad& 

Sau-ho-chi 

Murja"n 

Emerald 

Marakata 

Muj£ 

Luk-syak 

Zumurrud 

Topaz 

Pushyaraga 

Outfiyi 

Si-Iang-syak 

Y&kut  al-azrak 

Sapphire 

Nlla 

Nila 

Chang-syak 

Yakut  al-agf  ar 

Among  the  Burmese  the  value  for  occult  purposes  of 
the  nine  gems  composing  the  naoratna,  or  nararatna,  is 
strictly  determined  in  the  following  order :  first,  the  ruby ; 
second,  the  diamond,  or  rock-crystal;  third,  the  pearl; 
fourth,  the  coral;  fifth,  the  topaz;  sixth,  the  sapphire; 
seventh,  the  cat's-eye;  eighth,  the  amethyst;  and  ninth, 
the  emerald.31  That  the  ruby,  diamond  and  pearl  should 
occupy  places  of  honor  is  quite  natural,  but  the  rele- 

^Philostrati,  "De  Vita  Apollonii,"  lib.  iii,  cap.  36. 
31  Personal  communication  from  Taw  Sein  Ko. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        245 

gation  of  tlie  sapphire  to  sixth,  place,  after  coral  and 
topaz,  s'eems  to  be  a  rather  unfair  treatment  of  this  beau- 
tiful stone. 

The  yellow  girdles  worn  by  the  Chinese  emperors  of 
the  Manchu  dynasty  were  variously  ornamented  with 
precious  stones  according  to  the  different  ceremonial 
observances  at  which  the  emperor  presided.  For  the 
services  in  the  Temple  of  Heaven,  the  very  appropriate 
choice  of  lapis-lazuli  ornaments  was  made ;  for  the  Altar 
of  Earth,  yellow  jade  was  favored;  for  a  sacrifice  on  the 
Altar  of  the  Sun,  the  gems  were  red  corals,  while  white 
jade  was  selected  for  the  ceremonies  before  the  Altar  of 
the  Moon.  Jade  of  different  colors  was  used  for  the  six 
precious  tablets  employed  in  the  worship  of  heaven  and 
earth  and  the  four  cardinal  points.  For  the  worship  of 
Heaven  there  was  the  dark-green  round  tablet;  for  that 
of  Earth,  an  octagonal  tablet  of  yellow  jade.  The  East 
was  worshipped  with  a  green  pointed  tablet;  the  West 
was  worshipped  with  the  white  "tiger-tablet";  the  North 
with  a  black,  semi-circular  tablet,  and  the  South  with  a 
tablet  of  red  jade.32 

Of  all  the  Chinese  works  on  jade  the  most  interesting 
and  remarkable  is  the  Ku  yu  t'ou  pu  or  "Illustrated  De- 
scription of  Ancient  Jade,"  a  catalogue  divided  into  a 
hundred  books  and  embellished  with  upward  of  seven 
hundred  figures.  It  was  published  in  1176,  and  lists  the 
magnificent  collection  of  jade  objects  belonging  to  the 
first  emperor  of  the  Southern  Sung  dynasty.  One  of  the 
treasures  here  described  was  a  four-sided  plaque  of  pure 
white  jade  over  two  feet  in  height  and  breadth,  and  it  was 

33  The  Bishop  Collection :  "  Investigations  and  Studies  in  Jade/7  New 
York,  1906,  vol.  i,  p.  54,  The  "Yushuo"  of  T'ang  Jing-tso,  trans,  by 
Stephen  W.  Bushnell. 


246     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

regarded  as  of  altogether  exceptional  value,  for  on  it  was 
a  design  miraculously  engraven.  This  was  a  figure, 
seated  on  a  mat,  with  a  flower-vase  on  its  left  and  an  alms- 
bowl  on  the  right,  in  the  midst  of  rocks  enveloped  in 
clouds.  The  figure  was  an  image  of  the  Buddhist  saint, 
Samantabahadra,  and  the  plaque  is  said  to  have  been 
washed  out  of  a  sacred  cave  in  the  year  1068,  by  a  violent 
and  mysterious  current.33 

Jade  talismans  are  very  popular  at  the  present  day 
in  the  Mohammedan  world,  and  among  the  Turks  they 
are  so  highly  prized  as  heirlooms  that  it  is  difficult  to 
secure  any  of  them.  There  is  an  orthodox  Mohammedan 
sect,  whose  members  call  themselves  Pekdash,  and  who 
during  their  whole  lifetime  carry  about  with  them  a  flat 
piece  of  jade  as  a  protection  against  injury  or  annoyance 
of  every  kind.34 

The  four  rain-making  gods  are  shown  wearing  neck- 
laces of  coral  and  turquoise  in  the  ceremonial  sand-paint- 
ings of  the  Navajos.  These  four  gods  are  respectively 
colored  to  denote  the  four  cardinal  points;  black  for 
North,  blue  for  South,  yellow  for  "West,  and  white  for 
East.  The  whole  painting,  measuring  nine  by  thirteen 
feet,  is  guarded  on  three  sides  by  magic  wands ;  toward 
the  Bast  it  is  left  unprotected,  as  only  good  spirits  are 
believed  to  dwell  in  this  direction.  Each  of  the  rain- 
gods  carries  suspended  from  his  right  wrist  an  elabo- 
rately decorated  tobacco  pouch,  bearing  the  figure  of  a 
stone  pipe.  The  Navajos  believe  that  in  this  pouch  the 
god  places  a  ray  of  sunlight  with  which  he  lights  his  pipe ; 

"The  Bishop  Collection:  "Investigations  and  Studies  in  Jade." 
New  York,  1906,  vol.  i,  p.  36. 

"Egbert,  "Ein  Edelstein  der  Vorzeit,"  Stuttgart,  1910,  p.  26. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES        247 

when  lie  smokes,  clouds  form  in  the  sky  and  the  rain  de- 
scends. In  the  sand-picture  representing  the  God  of  the 
Whirlwind  this  divinity  also*  wears  ear-pendants  and  a 
necklace  of  turquoise.35 

Of  the  turquoise  in  Aztec  times  we  have  the  testimony 
of  the  missionary  Bernardino  de  Sahagun  that  one  vari- 
ety, presumably  that  regarded  as  the  finest  and  most 
attractive,  bore  the  name  teuxivitl,  which  signified  "tur- 
quoise of  the  gods."  No  one  was  allowed  either  to  own 
or  wear  this  as  it  was  exclusively  devoted  to  the  service 
of  the  gods,  whether  as  a  temple  offering,  or  for  the 
decoration  of  the  divine  images.  Sahagun  describes  this 
turquoise  as  "fine,  unspotted  and  very  clear.  It  was  very 
rare  and  was  brought  to  Mexico  from  afar.  Some  speci- 
mens were  of  rounded  shape,  like  a  hazel-nut  cut  in  half ; 
others  were  broad  and  flat,  and  some  were  pitted  as 
though  in  a  state  of  decomposition."  36 

The  god  of  fire,  Xiuhtecutli,  or  Ixgocauhqui,  presided 
over  the  ceremony  of  piercing  the  ears  of  the  young  boys 
and  girls.  The  image  of  this  god  was  decorated  with 
ear-rings  encrusted  with  a  mosaic  of  turquoise.  He  held 
in  his  left  hand  a  buckler  on  which  were  five  large  green 
stones  called  chalchiuitl  (jadeite),  placed  in  the  form  of 
a  cross  on  a  plate  of  gold  almost  covering  the  shield.37 

At  the  time  of  the  Spanish  Conquest  an  immense  'em- 
erald, almost  as  large  as  an  ostrich  egg?  was  adored  by 
the  Peruvians  in  the  city  of  Manta.  This  "emerald 
goddess"  bore  the  name  of  Umina,  and,  like  some  of 

85  Alfred  Marston  Tozzer,  "  Navajo  Religious  Ceremonials/7  Putnam 
Anniversary  Volume,  New  York,  1909,  pp.  323-326,  329,  Plate  II. 

88  Sahagun,  "Historia  general  de  las  cosas  de  Nueva  Espana," 
Mexico,  1830,  vol.  iii,  p.  297. 

57  Sahagun,  L  c.?  1829,  vol.  i,  p.  18;  lib.  i,  cap.  xiii. 


248     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  precious  relics  of  the  Christian  world,  was  only  ex- 
hibited on  high  feast  days,  when  the  Indians  flocked  to 
the  shrine  from  far  and  near,  bringing  gifts  to  the 
goddess.  The  wily  priests  especially  recommended  the 
donation  of  emeralds,  saying  that  these  were  the 
daughters  of  the  goddess,  who  wonld  be  well  pleased  to 
see  her  offspring.  In  this  way  an  immense  store  of  em- 
eralds rewarded  the  efforts  of  the  priests,  and  on  the  con- 
quest of  Peru  all  these  fine  stones  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Pedro  de  Alvarado,38  Gareilasso  de  la  Vega,  and  their 
companions.  The  mother  emerald,  however,  had  been  so 
cleverly  concealed  by  the  priests  of  the  shrine  that  the 
Spaniards  never  succeeded  in  gaining  possession  of  it. 
Many  of  the  other  emeralds  were  destroyed  because  of 
the  ignorance  and  stupidity  of  some  of  their  new  owners, 
who,  supposing  that  the  test  of  a  true  emerald  was  its 
ability  to  withstand  hard  blows,  laid  the  stones  on  an 
anvil  and  hammered  them  to  pieces.  The  old  and  en- 
tirely false  notion  that  the  genuine  diamond  could  en- 
dure this  treatment  may  have  suggested  the  unfortunate 
test. 

Gfarcilasso  likens  the  growth  of  the  emerald  in  its 
mine  to  that  of  a  fruit  on  a  tree,  and  he  believed  that  it 
gradually  acquired  its  beautiful  green  hue,  that  part  of 
the  crystal  nearest  the  sun  being  the  first  to  acquire 
color.  He  notes  an  interesting  specimen  found  in  Peru, 
half  of  which  was  colorless  like  glass,  while  the  other  half 
was  a  brilliant  green;  this  he  compares  with  a  half- 
ripened  fruit.3S 

The  remarkable  jade  adze,  generally  known  as  the 

38  Gareilasso  de  la  Vega,  "  Histoire  des  Ineas,"  Fr.  trans,  by  Jean 
Baudoin,  Amsterdam,  1715,  vol.  ii,  pp.  255-257. 
38  Ibid.,  p.  347. 


EELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        249 

"Kunz  adze/'  was  found  in  Oaxaca,  Mexico,  brought  to 
the  United  States  about  1890,  and  is  now  in  the  American 
Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York.     Of  a  light 
greenish-gray  hue,  with  a  slight  tinge  of  blue,  this  jade 
artefact  is  272  mm.  long  (1013/16  inches),  153  mm.  wide 
(6  inches)  and  118  mm.  thick  (4%  inches) ;  its  weight  is 
229.3  Troy  ounces,  nearly  sixteen  pounds  avoirdupois. 
Eudely,  but  not  unskilfully,  carved  upon  its  face  is  a 
grotesque  human  figure.    Four  small,  shallow  depres- 
sions, one  under  each  eye  and  one  near  each  hand,  may 
have  served  to  hold  in  place  small  gold  films,  but  no  trace 
of  gold  decoration  is  now  extant.    In  its  mechanical  exe- 
cution this  adze  offers  evidence  of  considerable  skill  on 
the  part  of  the  Aztec  lapidary,  the  polish  equalling  that 
of  modern  workers.    In  the  fact  that  a  large  piece,  which 
must  apparently  have  weighed  at  least  two  pounds,  has 
evidently  been  cut  out  of  this  implement  by  some  one  of 
its  Indian  owners,  we  can  see  a  proof  of  the  talismanic 
power  ascribed  to  jadeite  in  Aztec  times,  for  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  nothing  less  than  a  belief  in  the  great 
virtue  of  jadeite  coupled  with  the  rarity  of  the  material 
could  have  induced  the  mutilation  of  what  must  have  been 
regarded  in  its  time  as  a  remarkable  work  of  art.40 

The  source  of  the  prehistoric  jade  (nephrite  and 
jadeite)  found  in  Europe,  and  also  of  that  worked  into 
ornaments  by  the  Indians  before  the  Spanish  Conquest 
of  America,  was  long  the  subject  of  contention  among 
mineralogists  and  archaeologists.  In  Germany  this  ques- 
tion was  denominated  the  Nephritfrage,  and  the  most 
notable  contribution  to  the  discussion  was  the  great  scien- 

40  "A  Remarkable  Jadeite  Adze,"  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science.  Kttnz,  "  Gems  and  Precious  Stones  of  North 
America,"  New  York,  1890,  pp.  278-280. 


250     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

tific  and  scholarly  work  issued  by  Heinrich  Fischer.41 
His  conclusion  was  that  as  there  was  no  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  these  minerals  outside  of  a  few  localities  in 
Asia,  the  European  and  American  supply  must  have  been 
brought  to  these  parts  of  the  world  from  Asia,  and  that 
hence  the  presence  of  these  jade  artefacts  in  America 
clearly  pointed  to  commercial  intercourse  at  an  early 
period  between  the  American  continent  and  Asia,  and 
might  be  regarded  as  offering  a  strong  argument  in 
favor  of  an  Asiatic  origin  for  an  American  civilization. 
According  to  this  theory  the  prehistoric  jade  objects 
found  in  Europe  must  have  had  a  similar  source,  and 
would  constitute  a  proof  of  the  existence  of  traffic  with 
remote  points  in  Asia  at  a  date  long  previous  to  that 
commonly  accepted. 

This  view  was  strongly  opposed  by  Prof.  A.  B.  Meyer, 
of  Dresden,  and  recent  discoveries  have  effectively  dis- 
proved the  theory  in  the  case  of  Europe  at  least,  for 
nephrite  has  been  found  there  in  situ  in  several  places. 
The  largest  mass  of  this  material  that  has  been  taken 
from  a  European  deposit  is  that  found  by  the  writer  at 
Jordansmuhl  in  Silesia,  in  April,  1899,  and  which  weighed 
4704  pounds.42  The  origin  of  American  jade  in  the  forms 
of  nephrite  and  jadeite  has  not  yet  been  definitely  deter- 
mined, but  we  have  every  reason  to  suppose  that  deposits 
of  these  minerals  will  eventually  be  discovered  in  various 
parts  of  the  American  continent,  as  they  have  already 

41 "  Nephrit  und  Jadite,"  Stuttgart,  1880. 

^The  Bishop  Collection,  "Investigations  and  Studies  in  Jade/3" 
New  York,  1906,  vol.  i,  pt.  iii,  "Jade  as  a  Mineral/'  by  George  Frederick 
Kunz,  p.  177.  This  immense  mass  of  nephrite  which  forms  part  of  the 
Heber  Bishop  Collection  loan  of  jade  is  now  in  the  American  Museum 
of  Natural  History,  New  York. 


EELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        251 

been  in  Europe.  Indeed,  the  existence  of  nephrite  in 
Alaska  is  already  well  attested. 

The  peculiar  and  characteristic  qualities  of  these  sub- 
stances have  made  them  favorite  materials  for  ornamen- 
tal objects  from  the  earliest  ages  down  to  our  own  day, 
and  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  world.  A  most  important 
element  contributing  to  the  popularity  of  jade  has  been 
its  supposed  possession  of  wonderful  talismanic  and 
therapeutic  virtues,  and  while  the  Western  world  has  not 
the  same  belief  in  these  matters  as  the  Eastern  world, 
a  more  or  less  definite  appreciation  of  what  jade  still 
signifies  for  many  in  the  Orient,  continues  to  exercise  an 
influence  over  both  Americans  and  Europeans,  making 
objects  of  nephrite  or  jadeite  highly  prized  everywhere 
at  the  present  time. 

The  term  chalchihuitl  was  indifferently  applied  by 
the  ancient  Mexicans  to  a  number  of  green  or  greenish- 
white  stones ;  quetzal  chalchihuitl,  which  was  regarded  as 
the  most  precious  variety,  may  perhaps  have  more  ex- 
clusively denoted  jadeite.  This  is  somewhat  indefinitely 
described  by  Sahagun  as  being  "  white,  with  much  trans- 
parency, and  with  a  slight  greenish  tinge,  something  like 
jasper.''  Of  eight  ornamental  objects  of  green  stone 
examined  some  years  ago  by  the  writer,  four  were  of 
jadeite,  one  of  serpentine,  another  of  green  quartz,  and 
the  remaining  two  of  a  mixture  of  white  feldspar  and 
green  hornblende.  An  inferior  kind  of  chalchihuitl,  said 
by  Sahagun  to  have  come  from  quarries  in  the  vicinity  of 
Tecalco,  appears  to  have  been  identical  with  the  so-called 
"Mexican  onyx"  which  is  found  in  veins  in  that  place 
and  is  an  aragonite  stalagmite.  This  material,  from 
which  figures,  ornaments  and  beads  were  made  by  the 
ancient  Mexicans,  is  to-day  greatly  valued  as  an  orna- 
mental stone. 


252    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

The  greater  number  of  ancient  Mexican  jadeite  beads 
appear  to  have  been  rounded  pebbles  of  this  material, 
assorted  as  to  size  and  drilled  for  use  in  making  neck- 
laces.   Other  green  stones  used  at  this  time  in  Mexico 
were  green  jasper,  green  plasma,  serpentine  and  also  the 
"Tecalco  onyx"  or  "marble"  above  mentioned.    In  many 
cases  these  substances  are  of  such  rich  green  that  they 
might  easily  be  mistaken  for  jadeite  by  those  who  lacked 
the  tests  or  the  experience  at  the  command  of  modern 
mineralogists.    Should  jadeite  ever  be  found  in  situ  in 
Mexico,  it  seems  probable  that  the  discovery  will  be  made 
in  the  State  of  Oaxaca,  whence  came  the  finest  ancient 
specimens,  including  the  splendid  votive  adze.    Moreover, 
one  of  the  few  materials  by  which  jadeite  can  be  worked 
is  furnished  by  the  streams  of  this  region,  whence  have 
been  taken  several  rolled  pebbles  which  the  writer  has 
identified  as  yellow  and  blue  corundum,  the  quality  being 
equal  to  that  of  specimens  from  Ceylon.43 

G-esner  describes  one  of  the  lip  ornaments  worn  by 
the  aborigines  of  South  America  in  the  following  words : 44 

A  green  stone  or  gem  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  West  Indies 
use,  They  pierce  their  lips  and  insert  this  stone  so  that  the  thicker  part 
adheres  to  the  hole  and  the  rest  protrudes.  We  might  call  these  orna- 
ments oripenduU  [mouth-pendants].  This  stone  was  given  me  by  a 
learned  Piedmontese,  Johannes  Ferrerius,  and  he  wrote  of  it  as  follows : 
"  I  send  a  cylindrical  green  stone,  as  long  as  a  man's  middle  finger,  and 
having  at  one  extremity  two  ridges.  It  is  stated  that  the  Brazilians  of 
high  rank  wore  these,  from  their  youth,  in  their  pierced  lips;  one  or 
more  being  worn  according  to  the  dignity  of  the  wearer.  While  eating, 
or  whenever  they  so  wish  for  any  other  reason,  these  ornaments  are 
removed  from  the  lips." 

<3Kunz,  u  Chalehiuitl :  a  note  on  the  jadeite  discussion/'  Science, 
vol.  xii,  No.  298. 

"Gesneri,  "De  figuris  lapidum,"  Tiguri,  1565,  foL  107  verso,  108 
recto. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES        253 

Similar  ornaments,  made  of  a  green  quartz  and  of  beryl, 
are  in  the  Kunz  collection  in  the  Field  Museum  of 
Chicago. 

The  reason  for  these  strange  mutilations,  which  often 
cause  serious  discomfort  to  those  who  practice  them,  is 
not  at  all  easy  to  determine*  Some  have  conjectured  that 
by  the  ins-ertion  of  bright,  colored  objects  in  the  ears, 
nose  and  lips,  members  of  the  same  tribe  were  enabled 
to  recognize  each  other  at  a  distance ;  each  tribe  having 
selected  a  particular  color.  However,  although  certain 
local  preferences  are  shown  in  the  matter  of  color  or 
material,  there  is  no  hard  and  fast  rule  in  this  matter,  and 
frequently  neighboring  tribes  will  employ  stones  or  shells 
of  the  same  or  similar  hue  and  appearance.  Others  find 
in  this  custom  a  religious  significance  and  suppose  that 
the  mutilation  represents  a  form  of  sacrifice  to  the  spirits, 
good  or  bad,  who  must  be  rendered  favorable  to  man  by 
some  act  on  his  part  showing  his  unconditional  submis- 
sion to  them.  Originating  in  this  way  the  idea  of  adorn- 
ment was  a  secondary  impulse.  It  is  a  fact  that  ancient 
peoples  regarded  the  wearing  of  ear-rings  as  a  badge1 
of  slavery,  and,  according  to  a  Eabbinical  legend,  Eve's 
ears  were  pierced  as  a  punishment  for  her  disobedience, 
when  she  was  driven  from  the  Garden  of  Eden. 

A  curious  theory  was  advanced  by  Knopf.45  He 
calls  attention  to  the  habit  children  have  of  thrusting 
small  bright  objects  into  their  noses  and  ears,  and  sug- 
gests that  this  indicates  a  natural  propensity  which, 
coupled  with  the  early-developed  love  of  adornment,  in- 
duced primitive  man  to  affix  ornamental  objects  on  or  in 
the  nose,  ear,  or  mouth.  There  may  be  more  in  this 
than  we  are  willing  to  admit,  but  on  the  whole  it  seems 

45 "  De  ornatu  oris,  nasi  et  aurium,"  Gottingse,  1832,  p.  43. 


254     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

most  probable  that  ceremonial  and  religious  considera- 
tions gave  rise  to  the  custom. 

One  of  the  largest  masses  of  sculptured  Chinese  jade 
is  in  the  collection  of  T.  B.  Walker,  Esq.,  of  Minneapolis. 
This  shows  a  jade  mountain,  with  groups  of  figures  artis- 
tically placed  at  its  base,  and  winding  pathways  up  to  its 
summit.  On  the  face  of  the  rock  is  inscribed  in  beautiful 
Chinese  characters  the  Epidendron  Pavilion  Essay  of 
Wang  Hi-che,  a  masterpiece  of  Chinese  calligraphy. 

An  enormous  mass  of  New  Zealand  jade  (punamu, 
" green  stone")  weighing  7000  pounds,  found  in  South 
Island  in  1902,  is  to  be  seen  in  the  Museum  of  Natural 
History,  New  York;  it  was  secured  by  the  writer  and  was 
donated  to  the  Museum  by  the  late  J.  Pierpont  Morgan. 
This  is  the  largest  mass  of  jade  known,  or  of  which 
we  have  any  record.  On  it  is  placed  a  remarkable  and,  in 
its  own  peculiar  way,  an  artistic  decoration,  serving  as 
a  type  of  old  Maori  life,  and  at  the  same  time  designating 
the  geographic  source  of  the  jade  in  a  striking  and  un- 
mistakable manner  calculated  to  appeal  to  the  least  intel- 
ligent visitor.  This  is  a  statue  of  a  Maori  warrior  of  the 
old  days,  executing  a  war  dance,  characteristics  of  which 
were  a  distortion  of  the  features  and  a  thrusting  out  of 
the  tongue  intended  to  express  defiance  and  contempt  of 
the  enemy;  the  time  or  cadence  of  the  dance  was  marked 
by  slapping  the  thigh  with  the  flat  of  the  left  hand.  This 
figure  was  executed  from  life  by  Sigurd  Neandross; 
indeed  it  was  actually  cast  from  the  model,  so  that  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  its  fidelity. 

Bock-crystal  is  included  among  the  various  objects 
used  as  fetiches  by  the  Cherokee  Indians.  This  stone  is 
believed  to  have  great  power  to  give  aid  in  hunting  and 
also  in  divining.  One  owner  of  such  a  crystal  kept  his 
magic  stone  wrapped  up  in  buckskin  and  hid  it  in  a  sacred 
cave;  at  stated  intervals  he  would  take  it  out  of  its  re- 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        255 

pository  and  "feed"  it  by  rubbing  over  it  the  blood  of 
a  deer.  This  goes  to  prove  that  the  stone,  as  a  fetich,  was 
considered  to  be  a  living  entity  and  as  such  to  require 
nourishment.46 

Precious  stones  have  been  everywhere  regarded  as 
especially  appropriate  offerings  at  the  shrine  of  a 
divinity,  for  the  worshipper  naturally  thought  that  what 
was  most  valuable  and  beautiful  in  his  'eyes  must  also  be 
most  pleasing  to  the  divinity  he  worshipped.  However, 
we  rarely  find  the  usage  which  was  remarked  by  Fran- 
cisco Lopez  de  Gomara  among  the  Indians  of  New 
Granada  about  the  time  of  the  Spanish  Conquest.47 
These  natives  "burned  gold  and  emeralds"  before  the 
images  of  the  sun  and  moon,  which  were  regarded  as  the 
highest  divinities.  Certainly  to  use  precious  stones  for 
a  "burnt  offering"  was  an  original  and  curious  idea, 
although  we  have  abundant  proof  that  pearls  were  offered 
in  this  way  by  the  mound-builders  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  In  this  case  great  quantities  of  pearls  were 
burned  at  the  obsequies  of  the  chiefs  of  the  tribes,  or  at 
thos'e  of  any  one  belonging  to  the  family  of  a  chief. 

In  ancient  Mexico  the  lapidaries  adored  the  four  fol- 
lowing divinities  as  their  tutelary  gods:  Chiconaui  Itz- 
cuintli  ("nine  dogs"),  Naualpilli  ("noble  necroman- 
cer"), Macuilcalli  ("five  horses"),  and  Cintectl  ("the 
god  of  harvest").  A  festival  was  celebrated  in  honor 
of  the  three  last-named  divinities  when  the  zodiacal  sign 
calted  chiconaui  itzcuintli  was  in  the  ascendant.  A 
feminine  divinity  represented  this  sign  and  to  her  was 
attributed  the  invention  of  the  garments  and  the  orna- 

4e"  Handbook  of  American  Indians  North  of  Mexico,"  ed.  by 
Frederick  Webb  Hodg-e;  Smithsonian  Inst.,  Bur.  of  Am.  Ethn.  Bull. 
30.  Pt.  I,  p.  458;  Washington,  1910. 

*T"Historia  de  las  Indias,"  in  "Bib.  de  autores  espanoles,"  vol. 
xxii,  Madrid,  1852,  p.  202. 


256     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

ments  worn  by  women.  The  four  gods  of  the  lapidaries 
were  looked  upon  as  the  discoverers  and  teachers  of  the 
art  of  cutting  precious  stones  and  of  piercing  and  pol- 
ishing them,  as  well  as  of  the  making  of  labrets  and  ear- 
flaps  of  obsidian,  rock-crystal,  or  amber.  They  also  were 
the  inventors  of  necklaces  and  bracelets.48 

The  stones  worn  by  Chinese  mandarins  as  a  designa- 
tion of  their  rank  were  undoubtedly  determined  origin- 
ally by  religious  or  ceremonial  considerations.  They  are 
as  follows ;  it  will  b*e  noticed  that  red  stones  are  given  the 
preference : 

Red  or  pink  tourmaline,  ruby  (and  rubellite) 1st  rank. 

Coral  or  an  inferior  red  stone  (garnet)  2d  rank. 

Blue  stone  (beryl  or  lapis-lazuli) 3d   rank. 

Rock-crystal   4th  rank. 

Other  white  stones . 5th  rank. 

The  knowledge  of  classical  mythology  was  so  slight 
among  the  ecclesiastics  of  the  Middle  Ages  that  some  very 
queer  attributions  of  the  subjects  engraved  on  Greek 
and  Roman  gems  were  made  during  this  period.  A 
reliquary  containing  a  tooth  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  pre- 
served in  the  Cathedral  of  Troyes,  was  set  with  antique 
gems  which  had  been  plundered  by  French  and  Venetian 
crusaders  from  the  treasure-house  of  the  Greek  Emperor 
in  Constantinople,  when  that  city  was  sacked  in  1204 
during  the  Fourth  Crusade.  Among  these  gems  was  one 
representing  L'eda  and  the  Swan — certainly  a  curious 
subject  for  the  adornment  of  a  Christian  reliquary.  An- 
other Greek  or  Eoman  gem,  long  preserved  in  a  church, 
was  furnished  by  its  Christian  owners  with  an  inscription 

48  Sahagun,  u  Historia  general   de  las  cosas  de  Nueva  Espana," 
Mexico,  1829,  vol.  ii,  pp.  389-391,  lib.  ix,  cap.  xvii. 


EELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        257 

indicating  that  the  figure  engraved  upon  it  was  that  of 
St.  Michael,  while  in  reality  it  was  a  representation  of 
the  god  Mercury.  Still  another  gem  was  provided  with 
an  inscription  signifying  that  the  subject  was  the  tempta- 
tion of  Mother  Eve  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  but  the  Greek 
gem  engraver's  intent  had  been  to  carve  the  figures  of 
Zeus  and  Athena,  standing  before  an  olive  tree,  a  design 
which  appears  on  some  Athenian  coins ;  at  the  feet  of  the 
divinities  appears  a  serpent.  In  a  similar  way  the  grain- 
measure  crowning  the  head  of  Jupiter-Serapis  led  to  the 
attribution  of  a  gem  so  engraved  to  the  patriarch 
Joseph.49 

An  engraved  amethyst  bearing  the  figure  of  a  little 
Cupid  is  said  to  have  been  worn  in  a  ring  by  St.  Valen- 
tine. While  this  may  be  somewhat  doubtful,  it  is  by  no 
means  impossible,  for  many  pagan  gems  were  worn  by 
pious  Christians,  who  reconciled  their  consciences  to  the 
use  of  these  beautiful  but  scarcely  religious  ornaments 
by  giving  to  the  pagan  symbols  a  Christian  meaning. 
Certainly,  in  view  of  the  time-honored  customs  con- 
nected with  St.  Valentine's  Day,  there  seems  something 
peculiarly  appropriate  in  the  design  of  the  ring  supposed 
to  have  been  worn  by  St.  Valentine. 

That  precious  stones  had  sense  and  feeling  was  quite 
generally  believed  in  medieval  times,  and  a  legend  told  of 
St.  Martial  illustrates  this  idea.  The  gloves  worn  by  this 
saint  were  studded  with  precious  stones,  and  when  on  a 
certain  occasion  a  sacrilegious  act  was  committed  in  his 
presence,  the  gems,  horrified  at  the  sight,  sprang  out  of 
tkeir  settings  and  fell  to  the  ground  before  the  eyes  of  the 
onlookers. 

**  Klot,  "  Ueber  den  Niitzen  und  Gebrauch  der  alten  geschnittenen 
Steine,"  Altenburg,  1768,  p.  57. 
17 


258     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


The  St.  Sylvester  or  St.  James  stone  is  a  banded 
agate  in  two  colors,  the  one  dark  and  the  other  light, 
with  a  cat?s-eye  effect  so  that  hoth  colors  are  equally 

visible.  The  light  side  rep- 
resents the  old  year,  with 
its  known  occurrences,  and 
the  opaque  side  represents 
the  new  year,  which  is  dark 
like  futurity.  This  is  a 
typical  stone  for  a  New 
Year's  present  or  for  one 
born  on  St.  Sylvester's  Day, 


RERVM     FOSSI* 

LIVMV  GE"NERE.    G  E  M- 

MIS,    LAPIDTB  VS,  M£T%tL  IS^ 


popular  tradition  is  that 
the  member  of  a  family  or  a 
household  who  is  last  to 
arise  on  that  day  will  be 
the  last  to  arise  all  the  year 
around. 

The  famous  "Sacro  Ca- 
tino"  preserved  in  Genoa 
was  long  believed  to  be  made 
of  a  single  immense  emerald, 
but  careful  investigation 
proved  that  it  was  of  no  more 
valuable  material  than  green 
glass.  A  legend  still  cur- 
rent in  the  early  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century  repre- 
sented this  cup,  or  dish,  as 
having  been  used  by  Christ  at  the  Last  Supper,  and  stated 
that  it  was  one  of  the  utensils  which  King  Herod  ordered 
to  be  brought  from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem  for  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  paschal  feast;  but  his  purpose  having  been 


TITLE  PAGE  OF  A  GROUP  OF  TREA- 
TISES BY  VARIOUS  AUTHORS, 
COLLECTED  AND  EDITED  BY 
CONRAD  GESNEK  AT  ZURICH 
IN  1565. 

The  upper  one  of  the  two  rings  figured 
is  set  with  a  natural  pointed  diamond,  the 
lower  one  with  a  piece  of  amber  enclosing 
an  insect;  grouped  around  are  twelve  stones 
representing  those  of  the  Breastplate. 


EELIGIOUS  USES  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES        259 

changed  by  Divine  Providence,  lie  made  other  use 
of  it.50 

A  qneer  story  has  been  told  regarding  the  Genoese 
emerald.  At  one  time  when  the  government  was  hard 
pressed  for  money,  the  Sacro  Catino  was  offered  to  a 
rich  Jew  of  Metz  as  pledge  for  a  loan  of  100,000  crowns. 
He  was  loath  to  take  it,  as  he  probably  recognized  its 
spnrions  character,  and  when  his  Christian  clients  forced 
him  to  accept  it  under  threats  of  dire  vengeance  in  case 
of  refusal,  he  protested  that  they  were  taking  a  base 
advantage  of  the  unpopularity  of  his  faith,  since  they 
could  not  find  a  Christian  who  would  make  the  loan. 
However,  when  some  years  later  the  Genoese  were  ready 
to  redeem  this  precious  relic,  they  were  much  puzzled  to 
learn  that  a  half-dozen  different  persons  claimed  to  have 
it  in  their  possession,  the  fact  being  that  the  Jew  had 
fabricated  a  number  of  copies  which  he  had  succeeded  in 
pawning  for  large  sums,  assuring  the  lender  in  each  case 
that  the  redemption  of  the  pledge  was  certain. 

Among  the  celebrated  emeralds  noted  by  George 
Agricola51  (1490-1555)  was  a  large  one  preserved  in  a 
monastery  near  Lyons,  France.  This  is  also  mentioned 
by  Gesner,  who  states  that  it  was  shaped  as  a  dish,  or 
shallow  cup,  and  was  held  to  be  the  Holy  Grail,  like  its 
rival  at  Genoa.52  Another  of  Agricola's  emeralds  was 
somewhat  smaller,  but  nevertheless  measured  nine  inches 
in  diameter  and  was  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Wenceslaus,  at 
Prague;  this  may  have  been  a  chrysoprase,  as  at  the 
present  day  many  fine  specimens  of  this  stone  can  be  seen 
in  St.  Wenceslaus,  where  the  walls  are  inlaid  with  the 

50  Erasmi  Stellas,  "  Interpretamentum  Gemmarum,"  3d  ed.,  Erf urti 
et  LipsiiB,  1736,  p.  27. 

"Agrieolae,  "De  nattira  fossilmm,"  lib.  vi,  Basileas,  1546,  p.  289. 
m  Gesner,  "De  figuris  lapidum,"  Tiguri,  1565,  ff.  112v,  113r. 


260    THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

golden  green  gem-stone.  Still  another,  larger  than  the 
last  named,  was  set  in  the  gold  monstrance  in  Magdeburg, 
and  was  believed  to  have  been  the  handle  of  Emperor  Otho 
Ps  knife,  since  it  was  perforated.  Possibly,  however,  the 
emerald,  if  genuine,  was  an  Oriental  stone,  for  it  was 
customary  to  pierce  rubies,  sapphires,  emeralds,  etc.,  in 
the  East  so  as  to  string  them  for  necklaces  or  attach  them 
as  pendants  to  a  jewel. 

In  the  convent-church  of  St.  Stephan,  in  Persian 
Armenia,  erected  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  it  is  related  by  the  French  traveller  Tavernier 
that  there  was  preserved  a  cross  said  to  be  made  out 
of  the  basin  in  which  Christ  washed  the  feet  of  the 
Apostles.  Set  in  this  cross  was  a  white  stone,  and  the 
priests  asserted  that  when  the  cross  was  laid  upon  the 
body  of  one  seriously  ill,  this  stone  would  turn  black  if 
he  were  about  to  die,  but  would  regain  its  white  hue  after 
his  death.53 

No  jewelled  sa,cred  image  has  been  the  object  of 
greater  reverence  than  has  been  accorded  to  the  rude 
little  wooden  carving  popularly  known  as  the  "Sacro 
Bambino'7  or  "Sacred  Baby,"  in  the  old  church  of  Ara 
Coeli  in  Borne.  This  figure  was  carved,  in  1847,  by  a 
monk,  out  of  a  piece  of  olive-wood  from  one  of  the  ancient 
trees  growing  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  near  Jerusalem. 
The  carving  was  executed  in  the  Holy  Land  and  was  sent 
thence  to  Italy,  and  although  the  ship  bearing  it  was  ship- 
wrecked, this  precious  freight  was  miraculously  pre- 
served and  is  supposed  to  have  been  conveyed  to  its  des- 
tination in  some  mysterious  way.  The  reverence  of  the 
thousands  of  pilgrims  who  in  the  course  of  time  have 

83 "  Les  six  voyages  de  Jean  Baptiste  Tavernier/'  La  Haye,  1718, 
vol.  i,  p.  48 ;  Voyages  en  Perse,  liv.  i,  chap.  iv. 


STATUE  OF  A  MAORI  WARRIOR,  BY  SIGURD  NEANDROSS. 

The  base  is  a  block  of  New  Zealand  judo  from  South  Island,  weighing  three  tons.     It,  \vaa 
donated  by  Mr.  J.  JPicrpont  IVIor^.-m  to  the  Ainorit'an  Museum  of  Natural  History. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        261 

gazed  with  veneration  upon  this  quaint  and  curious  work 
of  art,  has  found  expression  in  the  bestowal  of  a  wealth 
of  gems  and  jewels,  including  necklaces,  brooches,  rings, 
etc.,  with  which  the  silken  dress  of  the  image  is  studded. 
A  crown  of  gold  adorned  with  precious  stones  rests  upon 
the  head  of  the  olive-wood  figure,  which  is  jealously 
guarded  by  the  priests  and  only  shown  to  the  faithful  as  a 
particular  favor,  except  on  the  occasion  of  certain  relig- 
ious festivals. 

One  of  the  most  renowned  emeralds  in  the  world  sur- 
mounted the  elaborately  jewelled  imperial  crown  that  was 
placed  upon  the  head  of  the  venerated  image  of  theVirgen 
del  Sagrario  in  the  Cathedral  of  Toledo.  This  emerald,  of 
a  rich  green  color,  was  cut  as  a  perfect  sphere  and 
measured  about  40  millimetres,  or  1  j£  inches,  in  diameter. 
The  crown  itself  was  the  work  of  the  Toledan  goldsmith, 
Don  Diego  Ale  jo  de  Montoya,  who  began  his  task  in  1574 
and  devoted  twelve  years  to  its  completion.  It  is  de- 
scribed as  being  of  almost  pure  gold  and  executed  in  the 
[Renaissance  style.  Curiously  chased  in  arabesque  de- 
signs and  enamelled  in  various  colors,  the  framework  of 
the  crown  served  as  a  magnificent  background  for  the 
gems  constituting  its  adornment,  which  comprised 
rubies,  emeralds,  and  Oriental  pearls;  a  row  of  angels 
and  cherubs  sustained  the  arches  which  bore  at  their 
summit  the  allegorical  figures  of  Faith,  Hope,  and 
Charity;  upon  that  representing  Faith  rested  the  splen- 
did emerald.  This  precious  ornament  was  still  preserved 
in  the  Cathedral  in  1865,  but  was  so  carelessly  guarded 
that  it  was  stolen  in  1869.54 

If  we  are  to  believe  the  following  anecdote,  the  em- 

M  Jose  Ignaeio  Miro,  "Estudio  de  las  piedras  preciosas/'  Madrid, 
1870,  pp.  135, 136. 


262    THE  CUKIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

'erald  disappeared  at  an  earlier  date :  It  is  said  that  in 
1809,  during  the  French  occupation  of  Spain,  Marshal 
Junot  visited  this  cathedral,  and  the  emerald  was  pointed 
out  to  him  as  one  of  the  chief  glories  of  the  shrine.  As 
soon  as  the  marshal's  covetous  glance  rested  upon  the 
gem,  he  plucked  it  from  its  setting,  remarking,  coolly,  to 
the  astonished  and  horrified  bystanders,  "This  belongs 
to  me."  Then,  smiling  and  bowing,  he  left  the  cathedral 
with  the  emerald  safely  ensconced  in  his  waistcoat  pocket. 
Later,  it  was  replaced  by  an  imitation  in  glass. 

The  famous  collection  of  jewels  gathered  together 
in  the  treasury  of  the  Santa  Casa,  at  Loreto,  Italy,  was 
plundered  during  the  French  occupation  in  1797,  and  all 
trace  of  most  of  the  magnificent  ornaments  has  been  lost. 
These  represented  the  gifts  of  many  crowned  heads  and 
titled  personages;  among  the  former  was  the  unfortu- 
nate Henrietta  Maria,  wife  of  Charles  I,  who  donated  a 
golden  heart-shaped  jewel  with  the  words  "Jesus 
Maria' '  incrusted  in  diamonds.  This  jewel  is  described 
as  being  "as  big  as  both  a  man's  hands,  opened  onto  two 
leaves,  on  one  of  which  was  the  figure  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  on  the  other  a  portrait  of  the  queen  herself.55 
Of  the  many  rich  vestments  for  decorating  the  statue  of 
the  Virgin  in  the  sanctuary,  the  most  splendid  was  the 
gift  of  the  Infanta  Isabel  of  Flanders,  and  was  valued 
at  40,000  crowns.  In  a  seventeenth-century  account  by 
an  English  traveller  it  is  thus  described: 56 

Its  set  thick  with  six  rows  of  diamonds  downe  before,  to  the  num- 
ber of  three  thousand,  and  its  all  wrought  over  with  a  kinde  of  em- 
broidery of  little  pearle  set  thick  everywhere  within  the  flowers  with 
great  round  pearle,  to  the  number  twenty  thousand  pearles  in  all. 

55Lassels?  "  The  Voyage  of  Italy,"  Paris,  1670,  Pt.  II,  p.  344. 
^Lassels,  lc.,  p.  339. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        263 

The  same  writer  tells  us  the  niche  in  which  the  statue 
was  placed  was  bordered  with  a  row  of  precious  stones  of 
great  number,  size,  and  value,  the  colors  being  so  varied 
that  this  bordering  formed  "a  rich  Iris  of  several 
colors."  There  is  also  said  to  have  been  a  great  pearl, 
set  in  gold,  and  engraved  with  the  image  of  the  Virgin 
and  Child.57  It  seem$  probable  that  this  was  a  jewel 
made  of  a  baroque  pearl,  or  pearls,  completed  by  enamel- 
work  so  as  to  represent  the  sacred  figures. 

The  pectoral  cross  worn  in  solemn  processions  by  the 
prior  of  the  monastery  of  San  Lorenzo  del  Escorial  was 
adorned  with  eight  perfect  emeralds,  five  diamonds,  and 
five  pearls.  From  it  hung  a  splendid  pear-shaped  pearl, 
the  gift  of  Philip  II  in  1595,  and  one  of  the  finest  of  those 
acquired  by  this  monarch.  In  1740  the  cross  was  valued 
at  50,000  crowns,  Philip 's  great  pearl  not  being  included 
in  this  valuation.58 

The  monastery  of  Streoneshalh,  later  Whitby  Abbey, 
was  founded  about  656  A.B.  by  Oswy,  King  of  Northum- 
bria,  in  fulfilment  of  a  vow  made  before  his  victory  over 
the  pagan  king  Penda,  at  the  battle  of  Winwidfield, 
fought  in  November,  654.  St.  Hilda  was  made  abbess  of 
this  monastery,  and  Oswy's  daughter  Aelfleda  took  the 
veil  and  eventually,  in  680,  succeeded  Hilda  as  abbess; 
she  died  in  713.59  Tradition  relates  that  at  this  early 
date  crosses  and  rosaries  were  made  for  the  inmates  of 
the  monastery  from  the  jet  found  in  the  neighborhood. 
The  "Whitby  jet,"  so  popular  and  fashionable  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  was  largely  derived  from  the  same 

57  Scotto,  "  Itinerario  d'ltalia/'  Roma,  1747,  p.  314. 
re  Jose  Ignacio  Miro,  "  Estudio  de  las  piedras  preciosas,"  Madrid, 
1870,  pp.  136, 137,  229, 

*"  Caxtularinm  abbatfaise  de  Whiteby,  Stcrtees  Soc.  Pub.,  TO!, 

pp.  Xvi-3X> 


264  *  THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

source,  and  since  then  has  had  several  revivals,  until 
replaced  by  black-stained  chalcedony,  the  so-called  onyx, 
and,  later  still,  by  steel  carved  with  glass  and  glass  itself. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  jet  was  popularly  called 
"bla.ck  amber,"  and  Cardano  states  that  in  his  time 
beads  of  this  material  were  made  up  into  rosaries.  He 
also  says  that  curious  figures  made  of  jet  were  brought 
from  Spain  to  Italy.60 

Many  are  unaware  of  the  fact  that  a  number  of  orna- 
mental objects  made  of  nephrite  and  jadeite — unques- 
tionably of  European  origin — are  to  be  seen  in  the  quiet 
little  town  of  Perugia.  These  objects,  collected  princi- 
pally in  central  and  southern  Italy,  constitute  the  Belucci 
Collection,  in  that  city.  This  collection  also  contains 
other  specimens  of  worked  jadeite,  which  must  have  been 
brought  to  Europe  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  conquest 
of  Mexico  and  Peru.  A  very  interesting  example  shows 
us  the  utilization  of  a  pagan  celt  to  form  a  Christian 
emblem.  By  the  removal  of  a  rectangular  piece  from 
each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  jadeite  celt,  a  perfect  cross 
has  been  made,  the  back  and  front  of  which  still  offer  the 
original  polish  given  to  the  material  centuries  ago  by 
the  native  American  worker.  The  superstitious  belief 
propagated  in  Europe  by  the  returning  Spanish  sailors, 
very  probably  an  invention  of  their  own  to  enhance  the 
value  of  their  jade  and  jadeite,  that  these  minerals  were 
worn  by  th£  natives  as  a  cure  for  diseases  of  the  kidneys, 
whence  the  name  lapis  nephriticus,  rendered  the  material 
exceptionally  precious  in  the  eyes  of  many,  and  quite 
possibly  it  may  have  been  thought  that,  by  transform- 
ing this  object  into  the  sacred  form  of  the  cross,  a  talis- 
man would  be  produced  that  would  not  only  effect  the 

80  Cardani,  «  De  subtilitate,"  lib.  v,  Basileae,  1560,  p.  370. 


I  Cross  made  from  a  celt  of  jadeite  (Mexican),  bought  from  a  peasant  in  Perugia.  This  was 
originally  a  celt  and  was  divided  into  four  pieces.  Of  Mexican  origin  and  brought  to  Italy  in  six- 
teenth century.  Belucci  Collection. 

2.  Jadeite  celt,  from  Guatemala. 

3.  Celt,  Aboriginal.     A  .small  stone  hatchet  made  of  jade  nephrite,  of  the  kind  believed  by  the 
peasants  to  bo  thunderbolts.     Mounted  in  silver  to  be  worn  as  a  charm.     This  specimen,  tied  over 
the  bins,  is  said  to  have  been  worn  as  recently  as  fifty  years  ago  by  a  Scottish  gentleman  as  a  cure 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES        265 

cure  of  a  special  disease,  but  would  also  by  its  superior 
virtue  guard  the  wearer  from  harm  and  danger  of  all 
kinds.  Here  may  also  be  seen  some  celts  of  European 
jade  sewed  up  in  little  bags  to  be  worn  on  the  loins. 

Certain  curious  amulets  called  magatama  (crooked 
jewels)  have  been  found  in  Japanese  graves  of  the  iron 
age;01  they  are  formed  of  various  materials,  among 
others  of  steatite,  jasper,  carnelian,  agate,  rock  crystal, 
chrysoprase  and  nephrite  (jade).  In  the  shell  heaps  of 
a  period  preceding  the  iron  age,  the  magatama  are  fre- 
quently made  of  horn,  or  of  boar's  or  wolf's  teeth,  and 
their  peculiar  form,  which  is  variously  explained  as  a 
symbol,  may  have  been  conditioned  by  the  shape  of  the 
materials  originally  used.  The  magatama  were  evidently 
regarded  as  amulets.  "They  are  generally  perforated 
at  the  thick  end,  and  were  worn  on  a  string,  together  with 
beads  and  bugles  of  the  same  material."  These  peculiar 
ornaments  were  used  to  adorn  the  statues  of  the  gods  and 
were  also  employed  as  imperial  insignia  and  distinctive 
marks  of  high  rank.  At  the  present  day  they  are  num- 
bered among  the  three  emblems  of  sovereignty  in  Japan. 

A  green  and  a  red  magatama  are  combined  in  the 
national  emblem  of  Korea  and  a  similar  figure  is  used 
in  China  to  symbolize  the  union  of  the  masculine  and 
feminine  principles  (Yang  and  Tin)  in  nature.  Dr.  Baelz 
believes  that  the  swastika  emblem,  encountered  in  so 
many  different  parts  of  the  world,  belongs  to  the  same 
order  of  ideas. 

The  Bghai  tribes  of  Burma  have  many  superstitions 
in  regard  to  stones,  such  as  garnets,  rock-crystal,  chal- 
cedony, carnelian,  agate,  onyx  and  others  of  less  value, 

w  Dr.  Baelz,  of  the  Imperial  University  of  Tokyo,  in  Report  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institution  for  1904,  pp.  523-547. 


266     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

their  repute  not  depending  entirely  or  principally  upon 
their  quality  as  gem-stones.  In  almost  every  household 
is  installed  a  stone  fetish,  and  blood  offerings  are  on 
occasion  made  to  this.  A  question  as  to  the  reason  for 
this  offering  elicited  the  following  reply:  "If  we  do  not 
give  it  blood  to  eat  it  will  eat  us."  A  common  belief 
was  that  spirits  good  or  bad  dwelt  in  the  stones,  and 
in  case  a  great  misfortune  befell  a  family,  this  was  some- 
times laid  to  the  charge  of  such  a  spirit.  The  father  of 
a  family  having  died,  his  widow  commanded  her  son  to 
throw  away  their  magic  stone.  This  he  did,  but  the  spirit 
was  not  to  be  denied,  for  shortly  afterward  this  very  stone 
was  found  to  have  returned  to  its  accustomed  place,  and 
had  even  brought  two  companion  stones  with  it ! 62 

Buy  Gonzalez  de  Clavijo,  who  travelled  in  the  East 
during  the  years  1403-1406,  gives  a  description  of  a  slab 
of  stone  bearing  the  outlines  of  a  "natural  picture, "  and 
placed  in  the  church  of  St.  Sophia,  in  Constantinople:  6S 

In  the  wall,  on  the  left-hand  side,  there  is  a  very  large  white  slab, 
on  which,  among  many  other  figures,  was  drawn,  very  naturally,  without 
any  human  artifice  of  sculpture  or  painting,  the  most  sacred  and 
blessed  Yirgin  Mary,  with  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  her  most  holy  arms, 
with  his  most  glorious  forerunner,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  on  one  side. 
These  images,  as  I  said  before,  are  not  drawn  or  painted  with  any  color, 
or  inlaid,  but  the  stone  itself  gave  birth  to  this  picture,  with  its  veins, 
which  may  be  clearly  seen;  and  they  say  that  when  this  stone  was  cut, 
to  be  placed  in  this  most  holy  place,  the  workman  saw  these  most 
wonderful  and  fortunate  images  on  it,  and,  as  this  church  was  the  most 
important  one  in  the  city,  that  stone  was  deposited  in  it.  The  said 
images  appear  as  if  they  were  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  as  if  there 
was  a  thin  veil  before  them. 

03  Mason,  "Burmah,  its  People  and  Natural  Productions,"  Rangoon, 
1860,  pp.  109,  110. 

**  Narrative  of  the  Embassy  of  Ruy  Gonzalez  de  Clavijo  to  the 
Court  of  Timour,  trans,  by  Clement  E.  Markham,  London,  1859,  p.  38, 
Hakluyt  Soe.  Pub. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        267 

Many  other  examples  of  these  "natural  gems"  are 
noted  by  early  [writers.  Among  them  was  an  agate  gem 
in  the  treasury  of  the  Basilica  of  St.  Mark,  in  Venice. 
Upon  this  gem  appeared  the  head  of  a  king,  adorned  with 
a  diadem,  the  whole  design  being  figured  naturally  by  the 
veining  of  the  agate,  and  not  owing  anything  to  artifice. 
In  the  same  city,  upon  a  column  in  the  church  of  San 
G-eorgio  Maggiore,  could  be  seen  the  likeness  of  Our 
Lord,  hanging  from  the  Cross.64 

Such  stones,  with  peculiar  markings  indicating  the 
form  of  human  heads  and  figures,  were  regarded  as  the 
work  of  higher  powers. 

Another  remarkable  example  is  described  by  Kircher 
as  follows :  65 

In  Rome,  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Sacred  Virgin,  near  the  organ  to 
the  right  hand  of  those  who  enter  the  Church  of  St.  Pet.er,  an  image 
may  be  seen  in  which  the  Blessed  Virgin  of  Loreto  is  so  artistically 
depicted  by  Nature  that  it  appears  to  be  the  work  of  an  artist's  hand. 
She  is  attired  in  a  triple  garment,  divided  by  a  zone,  and  holds  in  her 
arms  the  child,  who  is  distinguished  by  a  crown,  as  is  the  mother. 
Around  may  be  seen  the  figures  of  angels. 

The  red  spots  upon  the  bloodstone  were  said  in  Chris- 
tian legend  to  represent  the  blood  of  Christ.  This  idea 
has  been  beautifully  utilized  in  some  gems  cut  from  this 
stone,  whereon  the  thorn-crowned  head  of  Christ  is  so 
placed  that  the  red  spots  of  the  bloodstone  figure  the 
drops  of  blood  trickling  down  the  hair  and  face  of  the 
Saviour.  Such  a  gem  might  well  be  looked  upon  as  a 
Christian  amulet  and  one  that  could  be  reverently  worn 
by  any  believer. 

°*  Chiocci,  "  Museum  Caleeolarium,"  Veronas,  1622,  p.  251. 
^Kireher,  "Mundus  Subterraneus,"  Amstelodami,  1665,  p.  36; 
Tabula  IV,  Fig.  6. 


268    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

The  ignorance  in  the  Middle  Ages  of  the  art  of  gem- 
engraving  often  induced  the  belief  that  engraved  stones 
were  the  work  of  nature.  A  striking  instance  of  this  was 
the  celebrated  stone  over  the  figure  of  the  Mother  of 
Jesus,  on  the  tomb  of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Marburg.  On 
this  gem  appeared  two  heads  touching  each  other,  and  it 
was,  according  to  tradition,  not  a  work  of  art,  but  a  freak 
of  the  sculptress  Nature.  An  oft-repeated  legend  tells 
us  that  a  former  Elector  of  Mainz  offered  the  whole  dis- 
trict of  Amoneberg  for  this  costly  stone,  which  robber 
hands  removed  at  Cassel.  It  is  in  reality  a  fine  onyx  en- 
graved with  the  heads  of  Castor  and  Pollux.66 

We  might  be  disposed  to  regard  rather  sceptically 
the  tales  regarding  wonderful  stones  bearing  the  image 
of  Christ,  or  that  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  we  may  be  in- 
clined to  believe  that  the  old  accounts  are  exaggerated 
or  distorted  by  the  pious  imaginations  of  the  writers. 
Nevertheless,  in  our  own  time  we  have  a  well-attested 
case  of  the  discovery  of  such  a  stone. 

In  1880,  while  visiting  the  village  of  Oberammergau, 
Bavaria,  to  witness  the  Passion  Play,  Mrs.  Eugenia 
Jones-Bacon,  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  found  on  Mount  Kop- 
fel,  which  overlooks  the  village,  a  small  stone  composed 
of  chert  and  limestone,  and  having  on  its  surface  excres- 
cences so  disposed  that,  when  the  stone  was  held  at  a 
certain  angle,  the  shadows  cast  by  them  formed  a  striking 
likeness  of  the  head  of  Christ  as  depicted  in  Christian 
art  This  peculiar  freak  specimen  has  been  carefully 
examined  by  experts  and  has  been  pronounced  to  be 
entirely  a  work  of  nature.  The  mineralogist  is  not  dis- 
posed to  see  here  anything  more  than  coincidence,  and 

66  Creuzer,  u  Antik  gesekaittene  Steine  vom  GrabmaH  der  heiligen 
Elizabeth/'  Leipsic  and  Darmstadt,  1834,  p.  25. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES        269 

yet  the  most  sceptical  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the 
fact  that  such  a  stone  was  found  at  the  time  and  place  of 
the  Passion  Play.  As  Max  Miiller  said,  in  commenting 
on  this  strange  discovery:  "The  chapter  of  accidents  is 
much  larger  than  we  imagine,"  and  the  present  writer 
feels  disposed  to  add  that  it  is  remarkable  how  often 
we  find  what  we  are  looking  for,  especially  if  we  are 
only  looking  or  thinking  of  one  object  or  subject. 

The  religious  symbolism  of  the  diamond  was  a 
favorite  theme  with  the  thirteenth  century  "lapidaria," 
or  rhymed  treatises  on  precious  stones.  Just  as  it  could 
only  be  discovered  by  night — an  old  fancy — so  was  the 
Incarnation  a  hidden  mystery;  it  gave  forth  a  great  light, 
just  as  Jesus  illumined  the  depths  of  Hades  when  he  de- 
scended thither ;  it  was  unconquerably  hard,  and  who  can 
resist  the  might  of  Grod? 67 

The  mediaeval  Italians  who  were  fond  of  seeking  some 
hidden  and  significant  meaning  in  the  names  of  precious 
stones,  in  the  case  of  the  diamond  (diamante),  read  the 
phrase  amante  di  Dio,  or  "lover  of  G-od."68  This  was 
a  reason  for  regarding  the  brilliant  gem  as  a  sacred  stone 
and  one  especially  suitable  for  religious  use. 

The  Bosicrucians,  who  sought  to  combine  pagan  with 
Christian  types  and  figures,  saw  in  the  amethyst  and 
the  amethystine  color  a  symbol  of  the  divine  male  sacri- 
fice, since  the  stone  and  the  color  were  typical  of  love, 
truth,  passion,  suffering,  and  hope.  The  love  of  Christ 
led  him  to  make  the  supreme  sacrifice  and  suffer  the 
agony  of  the  Cross,  and  the  Crucifixion  was  followed  by 

wBarbier  de  Montault,  "Le  Tresor  de  FAbbaye  de  Sainte-Croix 
de  Poitier";  in  M6m.  de  la  Soc.  d'Antiq.  de  1'Ouest,  Sec.  Ser.,  vol.  lv; 
1881,  pp.  105, 106;  Poitiers,  1882. 

M  Italian  MS.  of  the  fourteenth  century  in  the  author's  library;  fol. 
41  b. 


270    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

the  Besurrection,  whence  came  the  hope  of  mankind  to 
enjoy  eternal  happiness  in  heaven. 

The  chiastolite,  or  made,  shows  the  representation  of 
a  cross  on  its  surface,  this  effect  being  produced  by  the 
regular  arrangement  of  carbonaceous  impurities  along 
the  axes  of  the  crystal.  The  name  signifies  a  marking 
resembling  the  Gre'ek  letter  X  (chi).  This  marking  is 
often  very  striking  in  appearance,  and  the  crystal  was 
naturally  regarded  as  having  a  mystical  and  religious 
significance.  It  was  said  to  stanch  the  flow  of  blood  from 
any  part  of  the  body  if  worn  so  as  to  touch  the  skin,  and 
it  was  also  believed  to  increase  the  secretion  of  milk. 
All  kinds  of  fevers  were  cured  by  this  mineral  if  it  were 
worn  suspended  from  the  neck,  and  the  divine  symbol  it 
bore  served  to  drive  away  evil  spirits  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  wearer. 

This  very  interesting  mineral  occurs  very  frequently 
in  mica  schists.  When  found,  it  appears  about  the  thick- 
ness of  a  small  finger,  tapering  slightly  at  each  edge.  If 
broken  near  one  end,  it  often  shows  a  white  cross  with  a 
veined  outline  of  black,  making  a  distinct  cross  with  black 
markings.  The  crystals  frequently  measure  from  two  to 
four  inches  in  length,  and  are  found  in  Massachusetts, 
California,  and  other  places.  If  small  segments  are 
broken  off,  it  will  be  found  that  the  black  outline  will 
become  stronger,  and  the  white  less  marked,  until  finally 
a  black  cross  will  appear,  with  white  markings.  The 
white  material  is  the  result  of  two  white  wedges  pushed 
point  onward  until  the  ends  meet,  the  narrow  end  of  one 
wedge  being  crossed  by  the  broad  end  of  the  second 
wedge,  and  the  black  filling  in  the  balance  of  the  square. 
No  two  of  these  square  crosses  can  thus  ever  be  esactly 
alike,  and,  when  polished,  the  crystals  naturally  form  an 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES        271 

interesting  stone  that  was  known  as  lapis  crucifer,  or 
cross-stone  by  the  ancients. 

The  peculiar  form  of  the  mineral  known  as  staurolite 
(from  the  Greek  eraopdz  cross)  is  due  to  the  twinning  of 
two  crystals  at  right  angles.  In  Cronstedt's  treatise  on 
mineralogy,  published  in  Stockholm  in  1758,  we  are  told 
that  the  staurolite  was  sometimes  called  Baseler  Tauf- 
stein  (baptismal-stone)  or  lapis  crucifer,  the  former  name 
being  used  in  Basel,  where  the  stone  was  employed  as  an 
amulet  at  baptisms.  However,  the  lapis  crucifer  of  De 
Boot  appears  from  his  description  to  have  been  the  chias- 
tolite.  In  Brittany  these  twin  crystals  were  worn  as 
charms,  and  local  legends  state  that  they  had  dropped 
from  the  heavens. 

Fine  crystals  of  staurolite  have  been  found  in  Patrick 
County,  Virginia,  and  there  is  said  to  be  a  beautiful  local 
legend  in  regard  to  their  origin.  Near  where  they  are 
found  there  wells  up  a  spring  of  limpid  water,  and  the 
story  goes  that  one  day,  long,  long  ago,  when  the  fairies 
were  dancing  and  playing  around  this  spring,  an  elfin 
messenger  winged  his  way  through  the  air  and  alighted 
among  them.  He  bore  to  them  the  sad  tidings  of  the 
crucifixion  of  Christ  in  a  far-off  city.  So  mournful  was 
his  recital  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Saviour  that  the  fairies 
burst  into  tears,  and  these  fairy  tear-drops,  as  they  fell 
to  earth,  crystallized  into  the  form  of  the  cross.  These 
natural  crosses  are  in  great  demand  as  charms,  and  ex- 
President  Eoosevelt  is  said  to  wear  one  of  them  mounted 
as  a  watch-charm. 

There  has  been  found  in  the  southern  part  of  New 
Mexico,  and  in  northern  Mexico,  a  blue  variety  of  cala- 
mine,  a  hydrous  silicate  of  zinc,  colored  blue  by  an  admix- 
ture of  copper.  This  stone  has  been  cut  into  gem  form 


272     THE  CUBIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

and  lias  been  sold  to  a  certain  extent  as  a  cheap  gem.  It 
is  translucent  and  is  sometimes  veined  with  white  wavy 
lines.  The  Mexican  Indians  employed  in  the  mines  often 
set  up  a  cross  and  a  candle  near  where  they  are  working, 
so  that  they  may  pay  their  devotions  at  this  improvised 
shrine.  In  Sonora  and  Western  Chihuahua  the  Indians 
frequently  place  a  piece  of  the  stone  to  which  we  have 
alluded  alongside  the  cross.  They  may  be  attracted  by 
its  beautiful  blue  color,  or  they  may  believe  that  it  is  a 
turquoise,  although  it  does  not  resemble  this  latter  stone, 
which  is  more  opaque,  of  a  different  shade  of  blue  and 
of  a  different  composition. 

In  some  epitaphs  the  hope  of  the  resurrection  finds 
expression  in  likening  the  body  enclosed  in  its  narrow 
coffin  to  a  precious  jewel  in  its  casket.  The  following 
lines  from  a  tombstone  erected  in  1655  to  the  memory 
of  Mary  Courtney,  at  Fowell,  Cornwall,  England,  give  a 
good  example  of  this  class  of  inscription: 6d 

Near  this  a  rare  Jewell's  set, 

Clos'd  up  in  a  cabinet. 

Let  no  sacrilegious  hand 

Breake  through — 'tis  ye  strickte  comaund) 

Of  the  jeweller:  who  hath  sayd 

(And  7tis  fit  he  be  obey'd) 

I'll  require  it  safe  and  sound 

Both  above  and  under  ground. 

In  a  churchyard  at  Prittlewell,  Essex,  England,  a 
rather  whimsical  treatment  of  the  same  idea  is  offered 
by  some  verses  engraved  on  the  stone  marking  the  graves 
of  two  wives  of  a  certain  Freeborne,  the  first  of  whom 
died  in  1641  and  the  second  in  1658.  The  bereaved  hus- 

""Bavenshaw,  "  Antiente  Epitaphs/'  London,  1878,  p.  110. 


STAUROLITE  CRYSTALS  (FAIRY  STONES). 
Patrick  County,  Virginia. 


RELIGIOUS  USES  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES        273 

band  seems  to  have  been  perfectly  willing  to  await  the 
Day  of  Judgment  for  the  return  of  his  lost  spouses : 70 

Under  this  stone  two  precious  gems  do  ly 

Equall  in  weight,  worth,  lustre,  sanctity: 

Yet  perhaps  one  of  them  da  excell; 

Which  was't  who  knows?  ask  him  y*  knew  y601  well 

By  long  enjoyment.    If  he  thus  be  prest, 

He'el  pause,  then  answere :  truly  both  were  best : 

Were't  in  my  choice  that  either  of  ye  twain 

Might  be  returned  to  me  to  enjoy  agayne, 

Which  should  I  chuse?    Well,  since  I  know  not  whether; 

He  mourne  for  the  losse  of  both,  but  wish  for  neither, 

Yet  here's  my  comfort,  herein  lyes  my  hope, 

The  tyme  a  comeinge  cabinets  shall  ope 

Which  are  loekt  fast:  then  shall  I  see 

My  Jewells  to  my  joy,  my  Jewells  mee. 

The  Christian  symbolism  of  colors  has  in  many  cases 
determined  the  use  of  certain  colored  gems  for  religious 
ornaments,  and  therefore  the  following  summary  of  their 
principal  significance  is  of  interest  here : 71 

WHITE  is  regarded  as  the  first  of  the  canonical  colors,  and  as 
emblematic  of  purity,  innocence,  virginity,  faith,  life,  and  light.  For 
this  reason  it  is  used  in  the  ceremonies  of  Easter  and  Christmas,  as  in 
those  of  the  Circumcision  and  Epiphany  of  Our  Lord.  As  the  color  of 
virginity  it  is  especially  appropriate  for  the  festival  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  and  as  that  of  faith  not  sealed  with  blood,  for  the  festivals  of 
the  saints  who  were  not  martyred.  The  heavenly  host  of  angels  and 
saints  wear  white  robes,  and  in  pictures  of  the  Assumption  of  the 
Virgin  she  is  frequently  clad  in  white. 

RED  is  used  at  the  feasts  of  the  Exaltation  and  Invention  of  the 
Cross,  at  Pentecost,  and  at  the  Feast  of  Martyrs.  It  suggests  and 
symbolizes  suffering  and  martyrdom  fox  the  faith,  and  the  supreme 

TORavenshaw,  "Antiente  Epitaphs,"  London,  1878,  p.  113. 
nSee  Audsley,    "Handbook  of   Christian  Symbolism,"   London, 
1865,  pp.  135-137, 
IS 


274     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

sacrifice  of   Christ  upon  the   Cross.     Divine  love   and   majesty   are 
also  typified  by  this  color. 

BLUE  is  an  emblem  of  the  celestial  regions  and  of  the  celestial 
virtues.  Nevertheless,  as  this  is  not  one  of  the  five  canonical  colors,  it  is 
not  employed  for  the  decoration  of  churches  or  for  ecclesiastical  vest- 
ments. In  Christian  art,  however,  the  Virgin  and  the  saints  and  angels 
are  often  robed  in  blue. 

YELLOW  of  a  golden  hue  is  emblematic  of  God's  goodness  and  of 
faith  and  good  works,  but  it  is  not  a  canonical  color.  A  dull  yellow, 
however,  has  the  opposite  signification,  and  is  a  type  of  treachery  and 
envy.  Hence  Judas  is  garbed  in  yellow  of  a  dull  hue,  and  heretics  wore 
garments  of  this  shade  when  they  were  condemned  to  the  stake. 

GREEN"  is  the  canonical  color  for  use  on  Sundays,  week-days,  and 
ordinary  festivals.  Hope  and  joy  and  the  bright  promises  of  youth 
are  signified  by  green. 

VIOLET,,  another  canonical  color,  is  appropriate  for  use  on  Sep- 
tuagesima  and  Quinquagesima  Sundays,  during  Lent,  and  on  Advent 
Sunday.  The  chastening  and  purifying  effects  of  suffering  find  expres- 
sion in  this  color. 

BLACK,  also*  a  canonical  color,  is  a  symbol  of  death  and  of  the 
mourning  and  sorrow  inspired  by  death.  Therefore  it  is  only  used  in 
the  Church  on  Good  Friday,  to  symbolize  the  sorrow  and  despair  of  the 
Christian  community  at  the  death  of  Christ,  a  sorrow  soon  to  be  turned 
to  joy  by  His  glorious  resurrection. 


POHANNK  BKA 
PAL  ATINO . 


FHONTLSPIECK  OF  THE  "VESTITUS  SACERDOTUM  HEBR^ORUM,"  OF  JOHANN 

IUIAUN,  AMSTERDAM,  1680. 

The  visnottos  a.i  the  top  illustrato  the  source  of  the  materials  of  the  vestments,  etc  ;  as  the  nopal 
source  of  the  cochineal  insect;  gold-thread;  linen;  a  sheep  for  wool;  Tyre  and  the  purple  mures.  Thi 
other  vignettes  show  wepuratc  parts  of  the  high-priest's  attire,  and  in  the  centre  appear  two  figurn 
of  the  high-priest,  each  garbed  in  different  sets  of  vestments. 


VIII 
t^e 


ERY  early,  and  very  naturally,  the  religious  nature 
of  man  led  to  the  use  of  precious  stones  in  connec- 
tion with  worship  —  the  most  valuable  and  elegant  objects 
being  chosen  for  sacred  purposes.  Of  this  mode  of  thought 
we  have  a  striking  instance  in  the  accounts  given,  in  the 
book  of  Exodus,  of  the  breastplate  of  the  High-priest, 
and  the  gems  contributed  for  the  tabernacle  by  the  Israel- 
ites in  the  wilderness.  Another  religious  association  of 
such  objects  is  their  use  to  symbolize  ideas  of  the  Divine 
glory,  as  illustrated  in  the  visions  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel 
and  in  the  description  of  the  New  Jerusalem  in  the  book 
of  Eevelation.  Apart  from  such  legitimate  uses,  however, 
gems  have  become  associated  with  all  manner  of  religious 
fancies  and  superstitions,  traces  of  which  appear  in  the 
Talmud,  the  Koran,  and  similar  writings  ;  they  have  also 
been  dedicated  to  various  heathen  deities.  Even  in  mod- 
ern times,  some  trace  of  the  same  ideas  remains  in  the 
ecclesiastical  jewelry  and  its  supposed  symbolism. 

In  the  vision  of  Ezekiel  i,  26,  and  in  a  brief  allusion  to 
the  similar  appearance  of  the  G-od  of  Israel  in  Exodus 
xxiv?  the  throne  of  Jehovah,  or  the  pavement  beneath 
his  feet,  is  compared  to  a  sapphire,  and  the  Apostle  John, 
in  the  Apocalypse,  describes  the  Great  White  Throne  as 
surrounded  by  a  rainbow  like  an  emerald. 

The  Rabbinical  writings,  instead  of  the  simple  gran- 
deur of  these  biblical  comparisons,  give  us  many  fanciful 
ideas.  The  stones  of  the  breastplate  are  here  represented 
as  sacred  to  twelve  mighty  angels  who  guard  the  gates  of 

275 


276     THE  CUEIOUS  LOBE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Paradise,  and  wondrous  tales  are  told  of  the  luminous 
gems  in  the  tent  of  Abraham  and  the  ark  of  Noah.  Mo- 
hammedan legend  represents  the  different  heavens  as 
composed  of  different  precious  stones,  and  in  the  Middle 
Ages  these  religious  ideas  became  interwoven  with  a  host 
of  astrological,  alchemistic,  and  medical  superstitions. 

The  following  is  the  description  of  the  breastplate 
given  in  Exodus  (xxviii,  15-30) : 

And  thou  shalt  make  the  breastplate  of  judgment  with  cunning 
work;  after  the  work  of  the  ephod  thou  shalt  make  it;  of  gold,  of  blue, 
and  of  purple,  and  of  scarlet,  and  of  fine  twined  linen  shalt  thou 
make  it. 

Foursquare  it  shall  be  being  doubled;  a  span  shall  be  the  length 
thereof,  and  a  span  shall  be  the  breadth  thereof. 

And  thou  shalt  set  in  it  settings  of  stones,  even  four  rows  of  stones : 
the  first  row  shall  be  a  sardius,  a  topaz,  and  a  carbuncle:  this  shall 
be  the  first  row. 

And  the  second  row  shall  be  an  emerald,  a  sapphire,  and  a 
diamond. 

And  the  third  row  a  ligure,  an  agate,  and  an  amethyst. 

And  the  fourth  row  a  beryl,  and  an  onyx,  and  a  jasper;  they  shall 
be  set  in  gold  in  their  enclosings. 

And  the  stones  shall  be  with  the  names  of  the  children  of  Israel, 
twelve,  according  to  their  names,  like  the  engravings  of  a  signet ;  every 
one  with  his  name  shall  they  be  according  to  the  twelve  tribes. 

And  thou  shalt  make  upon  the  breastplate  chains  at  the  ends 
of  wreathen  work  of  pure  gold. 

And  thou  shalt  make  upon  the  breastplate  two  rings  of  gold,  and 
sbalt  put  the  two  rings  on  the  two  ends  of  the  breastplate. 

And  thou  shalt  put  the  two  wreathen  chains  of  gold  in  the  two 
rings  which  are  on  the  ends  of  the  breastplate. 

And  the  other  two  ends  of  the  two  wreathen  chains  thou  shalt 
fasten  in  the  two  ouches,  and  put  them  on  the  shoulder-pieces  of  the 
ephod  before  it. 

And  thou  shalt  make  two  rings  of  gold,  and  thou  shalt  put  them 
upon  the  two  ends  of  the  breastplate  in  the  border  thereof,  which  is 
in  the  side  of  the  ephod  inward. 


THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  277 

And  two  other  rings  of  gold  thou  shalt  make,  and  shalt  put  them 
on  the  two  sides  of  the  ephod  underneath,  toward  the  forepart  thereof, 
over  against  the  other  coupling  thereof,  above  the  curious  girdle  of 
the  ephod. 

And  they  shall  bind  the  breastplate  by  the  rings  thereof  unto  the 
rings  of  the  ephod  with  a  lace  of  blue,  that  it  may  be  above  the 
curious  girdle  of  the  ephod,  and  that  the  breastplate  be  not  loosed 
from  the  ephod. 

And  Aaron  shall  bear  the  names  of  the  children  of  Israel  in  the 
breastplate  of  judgment  upon  his  heart,  when  he  goeth  in  unto  the 
holy  place,  for  a  memorial  before  the  Lord  continually. 

And  thou  shalt  put  in  the  breastplate  of  Judgment  the  Urim  and 
the  Thummim;  and  they  shall  be  upon  Aaron's  heart,  when  he  goeth 
in  before  the  Lord:  and  Aaron  shall  bear  the  judgment  of  the  children 
of  Israel  upon  his  heart  before  the  Lord  continually. 

Of  the  miraculous  quality  of  the  stones  worn  by  the 
high-priest,  the  Jewish  historian  Josephus  (37-95  A.D.) 
says : I 

From  the  stones  which  the  high-priest  wore  (these  were  sard- 
onyxes,  and  I  hold  it  superfluous  to  describe  their  nature,  since  it  is 
known  to  all),  there  emanated  a  light,  as  often  as  God  was  present  at 
the  sacrifices;  that  which  was  worn  on  the  right  shoulder  instead  of  a 
clasp  emitting  a  radiance  sufficient  to  give  light  even  to  those  far 
away,  although  the  stone  previously  lacked  this  splendor.  And  cer- 
tainly this  in  itself  merits  the  wonder  of  all  those  who  do  not,  out  of 
contempt  for  religion,  allow  themselves  to  be  led  away  by  a  pretence 
of  wisdom.  However,  I  am  about  ta  relate  something  still  more 
wonderful,  namely,  that  God  announced  victory'  in  battle  by  means  of 
the  twelve  stones  worn  by  the  high-priest  on  his  breast,  set  in  the 
pectoral.  For  such  a  splendor  shone  from  them  when  the  army  was 
not  yet  in  motion,  that  all  the  people  knew  that  God  himself  was 
present  to  aid  them.  For  this  reason  the  Greeks  who  reverence  our 
solemnities,  since  they  could  not  deny  this,  called  the  pectoral  Uyw> 
or  oracle.  However,  the  pectoral  and  the  onyxes  ceased  to  emit  this 
radiance  two  hundred  years  before  the  time  when  I  write  this,  because 
God  was  displeased  at  the  transgressions  of  the  Law. 

'Flavii  Josepbi,  "De  Antiq.  Jud.,"  lib.  iii,  cap.  viii,  9;  Opera, 
ed.  Dindorf,  Parisiis,  1845,  vol.  i,  pp.  100, 101. 


278     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

This  writer,  who  must  have  seen  the  high-priest  wear- 
ing his  elaborate  vestments,  says  that  the  breastplate  was 
adorned  "with  twelve  stones  of  exceptional  size  and 
beauty,  a  decoration  not  easily  to  be  acquired,  on  account 
of  its  enormous  value. " 2  However  these  gems  were  not 
merely  rare  and  costly;  they  also  possessed  wonderful 
and  miraculous  powers.  Writing  about  400  A.D.,  St.  Epi- 
phanius,  Bishop  of  Constantia,  tells  of  a  marvellous 
adamas  which  was  worn  on  the  breast  of  the  high-priest, 
who  showed  himself  to  the  people,  arrayed  in  all  his  gor- 
geous vestments,  at  the  feasts  of  Pascha,  Pentecost,  and 
Tabernacles.  This  adamas  was  termed  the  &jWc?  or 
"Declaration,"  because,  by  its  appearance,  it  announced 
to  the  people  the  fate  that  God  had  in  store  for  them. 
If  the  people  were  sinful  and  disobedient,  the  stone  as- 
sumed a  dusky  hue,  which  portended  death  by  disease,  or 
else  it  became  the  color  of  blood,  signifying  that  the 
people  would  be  slain  by  the  sword.  If,  however,  the 
stone  shone  like  the  driven  snow,  then  the  people  recog- 
nized that  they  had  not  sinned,  and  hastened  to  celebrate 
the  festival.3 

There  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  this  account  is 
nothing  more  than  an  elaboration  and  modification  of 
the  passage  in  Josephus.  Evidently  the  ttrw\>  (oracle) 
of  Josephus  has  become  the  d^fam?  (declaration). 

"When  Moses  wished  to  engrave  on  the  stones  of  the 
breastplate  tire  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  he 
is  said  to  have  had  recourse  to  the  miraculous  shamir. 
The  names  were  first  traced  in  ink  on  the  stones,  and  the 
shamir  was  then  passed  over  them,  the  result  being  that 

s"Ant.  JucL,"  lib.  iii,  cap.  vii,  5,  Mavii '  Josephi  Opera,  Basilese, 
1544,  p.  75. 

'Sancti  Patri  Epiphanii,  "De  XII  Gemmis,"  Tiguri,  1566,  £c. 
12-14.  Edited  by  Conrad  Gesner  from  a  unique  MS.  in  his  possession. 


THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  279 


THE  HJSBftEW  HIGH-PIUEST  ATTIRED  WITH  HIS  VESTMENTS. 
(From  Joharm  Braun's  M  Vestitus  Sacordotum  Hebracorum,"  Amsterdam,  1680,  opp.  p.  822.) 


280    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

the  traced  inscriptions  became  graven  on  the  stones.  In 
proof  of  the  magical  character  of  this  operation,  no  par- 
ticles of  the  gems  were  removed  in  the  process.4  The 
name  really  designates  "emery." 

An  argument  against  the  use  of  especially  rare  and 
costly  stones  in  the  decoration  of  the  breastplate  has 
been  found  in  its  probable  size.5  "We  are  told  that  when 
folded  it  measured  a  span  in  each  direction,  and  this 
would  indicate  that  its  length  and  breadth  were  each 
from  eight  to  nine  inches.  In  this  case  the  stones  them- 
selves might  have  measured  two  by  two  and  a  half  inches, 
and,  in  view  of  the  number  of  characters  required  to 
express  some  of  the  tribal  names,  these  dimensions  do  not 
seem  excessive.  It  is  highly  improbable  that  in  the  time 
of  Moses  precious  stones  like  the  ruby,  the  emerald,  or 
the  sapphire  would  have  been  available  in  these  dimen- 
sions. The  difficulty  of  engraving  very  hard  stones  with 
the  appliances  at  the  command  of  the  Hebrews  of  this 
period  must  also  be  taken  into  consideration.  As  we  shall 
see,  however,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  after 
the  Babylonian  Captivity  a  new  breastplate  was  made, 
and  at  that  time  it  may  have  been  easier  to  secure  and 
work  precious  stones  of  great  value  and  a  high  degree 
of  hardness.  We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  in  those 
periods  perfection  was  not  so  great  a  requisite  as  rich 
color. 

In  his  commentary  on  Exodus  xxviii,  Cornelius  a 
Lapide  (Cornelius  Van  den  Steen)  discusses  the  question 
of  the  diamond  in  the  high-priest's  breastplate.  In  the 
first  place,  he  notes  that  the  diamond  was  very  costly,  and 

4Ginsburg,  "Legends  of  the  Jews/'  Eng.  trans.,  Phila.,  1909, 
vol.  i,  p.  34. 

BSee  J.  L.  Myers  in  the  "Encyclopaedia  Biblica/'  vol.  iv,  pp. 
4799-4812. 


THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BREASTPLATE 


281 


that  a  large  stone  would  have  been  needed  to  bear  the 
name  of  Judah  or  that  of  any  other  tribe.  He  considers 
that  a  stone  of  the  requisite  size  would  have  cost  a  hun- 
dred thousand  gold  crowns,  and  he  asks,  "Whence  could 


I,  II,  THE  BREASTPLATE  UNFOLDED. 

A,  lower  fold;  B,  Bt  S,  B,  rings  for  attachment  to  Ephod;  C,  the  twelve  gems  in  their 
Bettings;  D,  Dt  hooka  for  attachment  to  shoulder;  E,  E,  bands  to  pass  through  rings  in  Ephod. 

III.  EPHOD  WITH  BREASTPLATE  FOLDED  AND  ATTACHED. 

<?,  G,  rings  through  which  pass  bands  of  Breastplate;  H,  H,  bands  of  Ephod.    From 
Johann  Braun's  "Vestitus  Sacerdotum  Hebraeorum,"  Amsterdam,  1680. 

the  poor  Hebrews  have  obtained  such  a  sum  of  money, 
and  where  could  they  have  found  such  a  diamond? "  He 
proceeds  to  give  still  another  reason  for  doubting  that 
the  diamond  was  in  the  breastplate, — namely,  that  it 
would  have  marked  too  great  a  distinction  between  the 


282     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

tribes,  the  result  being  that  the  tribe  to  which  the  dia- 
mond was  assigned  would  have  been  puffed  up  with  pride, 
while  the  others  would  have  been  filled  with  hatred  and 
envy,  "for  the  diamond  is  the  Queen  Gem  of  all  the 
gems."6 

The  use  of  the  breastplate  to  reveal  the  guilt  of  an 
offender  is  testified  to  in  a  Samaritan  version  of  the  book 
of  Joshua,  which  has  been  discovered  by  Dr.  Moses 
Gaster,  chief  rabbi  of  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  Jews 
in  England.  According  to  this  version,  Achan  steals  a 
golden  image  from  a  heathen  temple  in  Jericho.  The 
high-priest's  breastplate  reveals  his  guilt,  for  the  stones 
lose  their  light  and  grow  dim  when  his  name  is  pro- 
nounced. 

Many  conjectures  have  been  made  as  .to  the  origin  of 
the  breastplate  with  the  mystic  Urim  and  Thummim  en- 
closed within  it.  That  an  Egyptian  origin  should  be 
sought  seems  most  probable.  A  breast-ornament  worn 
by  the  high-priest  of  Memphis,  as  figured  in  an  Egyptian 
relief,  consists  of  twelve  small  balls,  or  crosses,  intended 
to  represent  Egyptian  hieroglyphics.  As  it  cannot  be 
determined  that  these  figures  were  cut  from  precious 
stones,  the  only  definite  connection  with  the  Hebrew  orna- 
ment is  the  number  of  the  figures ;  this  suggests,  but  fails 
to  prove,  a  common  origin.  The  monuments  show  that 
the  high-priest  of  Memphis  wore  this  ornament  as  early 
as  the  fourth  Dynasty,  or,  approximately,  4000  B.C.7 

Of  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  the  mysterious  oracle  of 
the  ancient  Hebrews,  St.  Augustine  (354-450  A.D.),  after 
acknowledging  the  great  difficulty  of  interpreting  the 

'See  Gimma,  "Delia  storia  naturale  delle  gemme/'  Napoli,  1730, 
vol.  i,  pp.  208,  209. 

'Hommel,  "  Altisraelitische  Ueberlieferung,"  pp.  281,  sqq.; 
Erman,  "Aegypten,"  Tubingen,  1885,  p.  402. 


THE  HIGH-PBIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  283 

meaning  of  the  words  and  the  character  of  the  oracle, 
adds  that  some  believed  the  words  to  signify  a  single 
stone  which  changed  color  according  as  the  answer  was 
favorable  or  unfavorable,  while  the  priest  was  entering 
the  sanctuary;  still  he  thought  it  possible  that  merely 
the  letters  of  the  words  Urim  and  Thummin  were  in- 
scribed upon  the  breastplate.8 

After  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  Titus  in  70  A.D., 
the  treasures  of  the  temple  were  carried  off  to  Rome, 
and  we  learn  from  Josephus  that  the  breastplate  was  de- 
posited in  the  Temple  of  Concord,  which  had  been  erected 
by  Vespasian.  Here  it  is  believed  to  have  been  at  the 
time  of  the  sacking  of  Borne  by  the  Vandals  under  Gen- 
seric,  in  455,  although  Eev.  C.  W.  King  thinks  it  is  not 
improbable  that  Alaric,  Idng  of  the  Visigoths,  when  he 
sacked  Eome  in  410  A.D.,  might  have  secured  this  treas- 
ure.9 However,  the  express  statement  of  Procopius  that 
"the  vessels  of  the  Jews"  were  carried  through  the 
streets  of  Constantinople,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Vandalic 
triumph  of  Belisarius,  in  534,  may  be  taken  as  a  con- 
firmation of  the  conjecture  that  the  Vandals  had  secured 
possession  of  the  breastplate  and  its  jewels.10 

It  must,  however,  be  carefully  noted  that  Procopius 
nowhere  mentions  the  breastplate  and  that  it  need  not 
have  been  included  among  "the  vessels  of  the  Jews."  It 
appears  that  this  part  of  the  spoils  of  Belisarius  was 
placed  by  Justinian  (483-565)  in  the  sacristy  of  the 
church  of  St.  Sophia.  Some  time  later,  the  emperor  is 
said  to  have  heard  of  the  saying  of  a  certain  Jew  to  tire 

*Aureli  Augustini,  "Opera  Omnia,"  vol.  iii,  Part  I,  col.  637; 
Patrologise  Latin®,  cd.  Migne,  vol.  xxxviii,  Paris,  1864. 

* "  Natural  History  of  Precious  Stones,"  London,  1870,  p.  333. 

10 Procopius,  ed.  Dindorf,  Bonnae.  1833,  vol.  i,  p.  445;  "Be  bello 
Vandalico/'  lib.  ii,  cap.  9. 


284:  THE  CUKIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEBCIOUS  STONES 

effect  that,  until  the  treasures  of  the  Temple  were  re- 
stored to  Jerusalem,  they  would  bring  misfortune  upon 
any  place  where  they  might  be  kept.11  If  this  story  be 
true,  Justinian  may  have  felt  that  the  fate  of  Rome  was 
a  lesson  for  him,  and  that  Constantinople  must  be  saved 
from  a  like  disaster.  Moved  by  such  considerations,  he 
is  said  to  have  sent  the  " sacred  vessels'7  to  Jerusalem, 
and  they  were  placed  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

This  brings  us  to  the  last  two  events  which  can  be 
even  plausibly  connected  with  the  mystic  twelve  gems, — 
namely,  the  capture  and  sack  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Sas- 
sanian  Persian  king,  Khusrau  II,  in  615,  and  the  over- 
throw of  the  Sassanian  Empire  by  the  Mohammedan 
Arabs,  and  the  capture  and  sack  of  Ctesiphon,  in  637.12 
If  we  admit  that  Khusrau  took  the  sacred  relics  of  the 
Temple  with  him  to  Persia,  we  may  be  reasonably  sure 
that  they  were  included  among  the  spoils  secured  by  the 
Arab  conquerors,  although  King,  who  has  ingeniously 
endeavored  to  trace  out  the  history  of  the  breastplate 
jewels  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  in  70  A.D.,  belreves  that 
they  may  be  still  "buried  in  some  unknown  treasure- 
chamber  of  one  of  the  old  Persian  capitals." 

A  fact  which  has  generally  been  overlooked  by  those 
who  have  embarked  on  the  sea  of  conjecture  relative  to 
the  fate  of  the  breastplate  stones  is  that  a  large  Jewish 
contingent,  numbering  some  twenty-six  thousand  men, 
formed  part  of  the  force  with  which  the  Sassanian  Per- 
sians captured  Jerusalem,  and  they  might  well  lay  claim 

uProcopius,  ed.  Dindorf,  Bonnae,  1833,  vol.  i,  p.  445;  "  De  bello 
Vandalico,"  lib.  ii,  cap.  9. 

1JFor  an  account  of  the  immense  booty  taken  by  the  Arabs,  under 
Sa'ad,  on  this  occasion,  see  Rawlinson,  (<  Seventh  Great  Oriental  Mon- 
archy," London,  1876,  pp.  564-566.  The  total  value  has  been  placed 
as  high  as  $125,000,000, 


THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BEEASTPLATE  285 

TO  any  Jewish  vessels  or  jewels  that  may  have  been 
secured  by  the  conquerors.  In  this  case,  however,  it  is 
still  probable  that  these  precious  objects  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Mohammedans  who  captured  Jerusalem  in 
the  same  year  in  which  they  took  Ctesiphon. 

One  circumstance  which  may  have  contributed  to  the 
preservation  of  these  gems  in  their  original  form  after 
they  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Romans  is  the  fact  that 
each  one  was  engraved  with  the  name  of  one  of  the  Jewish 
tribes,  the  inscription  being  probably  in  the  older  form 
of  Hebrew  writing,  which  was  used  in  the  coinage  even 
as  late  as  the  last  revolt  in  137  A.D.  Hence,  recutting 
would  have  been  necessary  to  fit  them  for  use  as  orna- 
ments, a  process  not  easily  accomplished,  and  involving 
a  great  loss  of  size.  We  must  also  bear  in  mind  that  the 
intrinsic  value  of  tire  gems  may  not  have  been  so  great 
as  many  suppose,  since  all  of  them  were  probably  of  the 
less  perfect  forms  of  the  precious  and  semi-precious 
varieties.  It  is  very  likely  that  the  enthusiastic  state- 
ments of  Josephus  in  this  connection  were  dictated  by 
national  pride,  or  arose  from  the  tendency  to  exaggera- 
tion so  common  among  the  Oriental  writers.  Certainly, 
if  the  breastplate  known  to  Josephus  was  made  not  long 
after  the  return  of  the  Jews  from  the  Babylonian  Cap- 
tivity, their  financial  resources  at  the  time  of  its  fabrica- 
tion were  quite  restricted. 

Admitting  as  a  possibility  that  the  Arabs  may  have 
secured  possession  of  the  breastplate,  how  would  they 
have  regarded  it?  The  heroes  of  the  Old  Testament,  and 
especially  Moses,  were  such  sacred  personalities  in  the 
eyes  of  Mohammedans  that  this  relic  would  have  been  as 
precious  for  them  as  for  us.  However,  the  victorious 
Arabs  who  overran  the  Sassanian  Empire,  although  filled 
with  religious  zeal,  were  no  students  of  archaeology,  and 


286     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OP  PKECIOUS  STONES 

would  have  been  quite  unable  to  decipher  the  strange 
characters  engraved  on  the  stones.  They  would  most 
probably  have  supposed  them  to  be  Persian  characters, 
and  would,  therefore,  have  valued  these  stones  no  higher 
than  others  in  the  Persian  treasure.  This  can  serve  as 
an  explanation  of  the  fact  that  no  allusion  to  the  breast- 
plate with  its  adornment  can  be  found  in  the  works  of 
those  Mohammedan  writers,  such  as  Tabari,  who  treat 
of  the  overthrow  of  the  Sassanian  Empire.  We  may  be 
sure  that  the  Persians  themselves  would  have  accorded 
no  special  honor  to  objects  connected  with  the  Hebrew 
religion,  since  their  own  Zoroastrian  faith  had  no  con- 
nection with  it. 

In  628,  not  long  before  the  date  of  the  Arab  invasion, 
the  most  precious  relic  of  Christendom,  the  cross  discov- 
ered by  Helena,  mother  of  Constantine  the  Great,  and 
believed  to  be  the  very  cross  on  which  Christ  died,  was 
surrendered  to  the  Greek  Emperor  Heraclius  by  Kobad 
II,  son  of  Khusrau  II,  on  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  of 
peace  between  the  Eastern  and  Sassanian  Empires. 
This  cross  was  one  of  the  sacred  objects  borne  away 
to  Persia  from  Jerusalem  by  Khusrau  in  615  A.D.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  guarded  carefully  through  the  influence 
of  Sira,  Khusrau's  Christian  wife.  There  is  a  bare 
possibility  that  other  objects  of  religious  veneration, 
taken  from  Jerusalem,  may  have  been  given  up  by  the 
Persians  at  the  same  time,  and  that  the  unique  char- 
acter of  the  most  important  relic  so  overshadowed  all 
others  that  historians  have  failed  to  note  the  fact.  The 
cross  was  restored  to  Jerusalem  by  Heraclius  in  629,  only 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Mohammedans  when  that  city 
was  taken  by  the  Arabs  under  Omar,  in  637.  Hence,  if  the 
jewelled  breastplate  had  also  been  surrendered  by  Kobad, 
it  would  probably  have  shared  the  same  fate. 


SILVER  CROSS  WITH  QUARTZ  CAT'S  KYE, 
Russian,  .sixteenth  century.    Collection  of  Mrs.  Henry  Draper. 


SPECIMENS  OK  CUIASTOLITK  (LAPIH  CLUTCIFRR).    (S(-paKc  271.) 
From  tho  "Metullothcc.i  Vul.icunu"  of  Moniatua,  Rome,  1710,  p.  2.'{S.    In  the  author'n  library 


THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  287 

"We  have  here  a  wide  field  for  conjecture, — but,  unfor- 
tunately, nothing  more.  Still,  in  the  absence  of  any 
definite  and  trustworthy  information,  there  is  a  kind  of 
romantic  interest  in  viewing  the  various  possible  rela- 
tions of  the  mystery  surrounding  the  fate  of  the  most 
precious  gems,  historically  at  least,  that  have  ever  ex- 
isted. More  especially  is  this  interest  justified  in  the 
case  of  all  who  are  disposed  to  prize  gems  and  jewels 
for  their  symbolic  significance,  for,  as  we  have  shown, 
this  significance,  as  far  as  concerns  natal  stones  and  the 
spiritual  interpretation  of  the  qualities  of  the  heart  and 
soul  symbolized  by  the  color  and  character  of  the  prin- 
cipal precious  and  semi-precious  stones,  has  its  root  in 
the  veneration  felt  by  early  Christian  writers,  beginning 
with  the  author  of  the  Apocalypse,  for  the  unforgotten 
and  unforgettable  gems  that  were  worn  by  the  Hebrew 
high-priest. 

A  rather  ingenious  utilization  of  the  reputed 
powers  of  Aaron's  breastplate  comes  to  us  in  a  book 
printed  in  Portland,  Maine.13  The  writer  assumes  that 
the  Urim  and  Thummim  enclosed  in  the  folds  of  the 
breastplate  consisted  of  twelve  stones,  duplicates  of  those 
engraved  with  the  names  of  The  tribes,  and  so  disposed 
that,  when  they  were  shaken  to  and  fro  and  then  allowed 
to  come  to  rest,  three  of  them  would  become  visible 
through  an  aperture  in  the  ephod  just  beneath  the  rows 
of  set  stones.  The  signification  of  the  oracle  is  given  by 
the  various  combinations  of  color  offered  by  the  three 
stones  that  reveal  themselves;  to  each  combination  a 
prearranged  meaning  is  given.  That  anything  of  the 
kind  could  have  been  true  of  the  original  ITrim  and  Thum- 
mim is  scarcely  worthy  the  trouble  of  refutation,  but  the 

UC.  H.  Emerson,  "  Psychocraf  t »  [Portland,  Me.,  1911]. 


288     THE   CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

practical  result  of  this  modern  experiment  is  a  clever 
oracle  which  will  probably  enjoy  a  certain  vogue. 

For  those  who,  with  the  late  lamented  Lieutenant 
Totfren,  see  in  the  tribes  of  Manasseh  and  Ephraim  the 
Anglo-Saxons  of  England  and  the  United  States,  and 
who  look  upon  George  V  as  the  king  who  sits  upon  the 
throne  of  David,  these  symbolical  stones  of  the  breast- 
plate acquire  an  added  significance.    While  not  pretend- 
ing to  be  able  to  follow  all  the  intricate  and  certainly 
most   ingenious    and   interesting   speculations    of   this 
school  of  Biblical  exegesis,  we  cannot  help  expressing 
some  astonishment  that  Ephraim  should  be  thought  to 
prefigure  England  and  Manasseh  the  United  States,  in- 
stead of  vice  versa.    In  Gren.  xlviii,  17-20,  the  text  more 
especially  referred  to   in   these   speculations,   Jacob's 
blessing  is  bestowed  upon  Ephraim,  in  spite  of  Joseph's 
protest  that  it  should  go  to  the  eldest  son,  Manasseh.    To 
this  protest  Jacob  answers:  "I  know  it,  my  son,  I  know 
it :  he  also  [Manasseh]  shall  become  a  people,  and  he  also 
shall  be  great:  but  truly  his  younger  brother  shall  be 
greater  than  he,  and  his  seed  shall  become  a  multitude  of 
nations."    Certainly  the  very  composite  population  of 
the  United  States  perfectly  merits  this  description.    As 
a  general  rule,  the  Hebrews,  when  using  the  names  Eph- 
raim and  Manasseh  as  tribal  designations,  maintained 
the  twelve-fold  division  of  the  people,  by  substituting 
these  tribes  for  Joseph  and  by  dropping  the  name  of  Levi 
from  the  list,  the  tribe  of  Levi  being  assigned  as  priests 
to  the  care  of  the  sanctuary,  and  not  participating  in  the 
division  of  the  Land  of  Promise. 

In  the  Midrash  Bemidbar,  the  Rabbinical  commentary 
on  Numbers,  the  tribes  are  given  in  their  order,  with  the 
stone  appropriate  to  each  and  the  color  of  the  tribal 
standard  pitched  in  the  desert  camp,  this  color  corre- 


THE  HIGH-PEIEST'S  BEEASTPLATE  289 

spending  in  each  case  with  that  of  the  tribal  stone.  This 
list  represents  a  tradition  dating-  back  to  at  least  the 
twelfth  century  and  possibly  mnch  earlier  than  that; 
hence  its  value  should  not  be  underestimated,  although 
we  may  not  accept  it  without  some  reserves.14 

Odem  Reuben  Red 

Pitdah  Simeon  Green 

Bareketh  Levi  White,  black  and  red 

Jophek  Judah  Sky-blue 

Sappir  Issachar  Black  (like  stibium) 

Yahalom  Zebulun  White 

Leshem  Dan  Sapphire-color 

Shebo  Gad  Gray 

Ahlamah  Naphtali  Wine-color 

Tarshish  Assher  Pearl-color  (?) 

Shoham  Joseph  Very  black 

Yashpheh  Benjamin  Colors  of  all  the  stones 

In  the  attempt  to  determine  the  identity  of  the  stones 
enumerated  in  Exodus  xxviii  and  xxxix,  as  adorning  the 
breastplate  of  the  high-priest,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
this  "breastplate  of  Aaron"  and  the  one  described  by 
Josephus,  and  brought  by  Titus  to  Home  after  the  cap- 
ture of  Jerusalem  in  70  A.D.,  are  in  all  probability  en- 
tirely distinct  objects.  The  former,  if  it  ever  existed, 
except  in  the  ideal  world  of  the  authors  of  the  Priestly 
Codex,  must  have  been  composed  of  the  stones  known  to 
and  used  by  the  Egyptians  of  the  thirteenth  or  four- 
teenth century,  B.C.,  some  of  them  being,  perhaps,  set  in 
the  "jewels  of  gold  and  jewels  of  silver"  borrowed  by 
the  Israelites  from  the  Egyptians  just  before  the  Exodus; 
on  the  other  hand,  the  most  trustworthy  indications  re- 

14 "  Der  Midrasch  Bemidbar  Rabba,"  German  transl.  by  Dr.  Aug. 
Wiinsche,  Leipzig,  1885,  pp.  15,  16.  Parasha  II.  Of  the  tarshish  it  is 
said  the  color  resembled  that  of  "the  costly  stone  with  which  women 
adorn  themselves,"  possibly  the  pearl  is  signified.  Hebrew  text  in 
"Sepher  Midrash  Rabba,"  Vilna,  1845,  pt.  iii,  "Sepher  Bemidbar,"  p.  23. 
19 


290    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


datu,fed&  fchohjs  foilluflrttu  p  AlardiAEn^drcdamu 
f 


garding  the  stones  of  the  breastplate  of  the  Second 

Temple,  made  perhaps  in  the  fifth  century  B.C.,  should  be 

sought  in  the  early  Greek  and  Latin  versions  of  the  Old 

Testament,  and  in  the  treatise  on  precious  stones  by 

A  K  A  TJ  T3/*Yr"V  A  TT'T      .Theophrastus,  who  wrote 

MAKJBiJJL/AJbl      about  300  B.C.   The  Nat- 

CALLI  CAENOMAN.E'NSIS  DE  ,     Jjistorv     of    Plinv 

gcinmaraml^|iidani^fp^tioforam£bnnfff,nafti      wiai    J-L     t      j  j, 

--—•—•*—•- -"•-•--* ------ -'-«'— <---—-    fjkat  great  storehouse  of 

ancient  knowledge,  and 
other  early  writers,  may 
also  be  used  with  profit. 
I.  Odem.  teTKj  The 
etymology  of  this  word 
clearly  indicates  that  we 
have  to  do  with  a  red 
stone,  most  probably  the 
carnelian.  We  know 
that  in  ancient  Egypt 
hieroglyphic  texts  from 
the  Book  of  the  Dead 
were  engraved  upon 
amulets  made  from  this 
stone,  and  it  was  also 
used  for  early  Baby- 
Fine 


'Coloniaracudebar  Hkf d AlopeciU?.  •  Anna 


TITLE  PAGE  OP  THE  EDITION  OF  MAR- 

BODUS  ON  PRECIOUS  STONES,  PUB-    l/>Tlism      PvllTirlprq 
LISHED  IN  COLOGNE,  1539.  '        lt>man      CyiUlQeib. 

Shows  the  figure  of  the  High-priest  and  the  Specimens  of  CaTHelian 
names  and  tribal  attributions  of  twelve  stones  of  W£J*A  obtained  f  TOTTX 
the  Breastplate. 

Arabia.    The  Greek  Sep- 

tuagint  and  the  Latin  Vulgate,  as  well  as  Josephus,  in  the 
"Wars  of  the  Jews"  (V,  5,  7),  and  Epiphanius,  all  trans- 
late sardius,  the  ancient  designation  of  carnelian;  in  his 
"Antiquities, "however,  Josephus  renders  odem  by"sard- 
onyx."  The  Egyptian  word  chenem  was  used  to  desig- 
nate red  stones,  and  seems  to  have  been  applied  indiffer- 


THE  HIGH-PEIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  291 

ently  to  red  jasper  and  red  feldspar  as  well  as  to  car- 
nelian;  indeed,  the  first-named  material  was  more  freely 
used  in  early  Egyptian  work  than  the  carnelian.  It  is, 
therefore,  probable  that  in  Mosaic  times  odem  signified 
fed  jasper,  while  for  the  fifth  century  B.C.  "carnelian" 
would  be  the  better  rendering.  This  modern  name  of  the 
sardius,  signifying  the  " flesh-color ed"  stone,  first  ap- 
pears in  the  Latin  translation  of  a  treatise  by  Luca  ben 
Costa,  who  wrote  in  the  tenth  century  A.D.  The  name  of 
Beuben  is  said  to  have  been  engraved  on  the  odem  stone, 
which  occupied  the  first  place  on  the  breastplate. 

II  Pitdah.  t™-l  There  seems  to  be  little  doubt 
that  this  is  the  topazius  of  ancient  writers,  which  usually 
signified  our  chrysolite,  or  peridot,  not  our  topaz;  for 
Pliny  and  his  successors  describe  the  topazius  as  a  stone 
of  a  greenish  hue.  A  legend  related  by  Pliny  gives  as 
the  place  of  origin  an  island  in  the  Eed  Sea,  called 
Topazos,  from  topazein,  "to  conjecture,"  because  it  was 
difficult  to  find.  However,  the  Hebrew  pitddh  appears 
to  have  been  derived  from  the  Sanskrit  pita,  "yellow," 
and  should,  therefore,  have  originally  signified  a  yellow 
stone,  perhaps  our  topaz.  W.  M.  Flinders  Petrie,  prob- 
ably influenced  by  this  Sanskrit  etymology,  sees  in  it 
the  yellow  serpentine  used  in  ancient  Egypt.  If,  never- 
theless, we  admit  that  a  light  green  stone  occupied  the 
second  place  on  the  Mosaic  breastplate,  it  was  perhaps 
the  light  green  serpentine.  This  was  called  meh  in 
Egyptian,  and  was  often  used  for  amulets.  In  the  case 
of  the  later  breastplate  we  may  substitute  the  peridot. 
On  this  second  stone  was  engraved  the  name  Simeon. 

III.  Bareketh.  [nP?.^l  Here  the  Septuagint,  Jose- 
phus,  and  the  Vulgate  agree  in  translating  smaragdus, 
and  as  we  know  that  emerald  mines  were  worked  at 


292     THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Mount  Zabarah,  in  Nubia,  before  the  beginning  of  our 
era,  and  that  the  emerald  was  known  and  used  in  Egypt, 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  reason  for  rejecting  the 
usual  translation  "emerald."  Still  it  must  be  admitted 
that  smaragdus  often  designates  other  green  stones 
than  the  emerald.  The  suggestion  has  been  made  (by 
Myers  and  Petrie)  that  the  passage  in  Kevelation  iv, 
3,  where  the  rainbow  is  likened  to  the  smaragdus,  indi- 
cates that  the  writer  used  this  name  for  rock-crystal; 
but  this  conjecture  is  scarcely  satisfactory,  since  it  con- 
fuses the  prismatic  effects  of  light  which  has  traversed 
the  crystal  with  the  crystal  itself.  There  can  be  little 
doubt  that  a  stone  of  brilliant  coloration,  like  the  emerald, 
not  a  colorless  one,  like  rock-crystal,  would  be  used  as  a 
simile  of  the  rainbow.  Whether  the  Mosaic  breastplate 
already  contained  the  emerald  is  another  question,  and 
it  seems  rather  more  likely  that  green  feldspar,  freely 
used  in  ancient  Egypt  for  amulets,  and  known  as  uat, 
was  the  third  stone  of  the  proto-breastplate.  The  Au- 
thorized Version  makes  "the  carbuncle"  the  third  in- 
stead of  the  fourth  stone.  Upon  the  bereJceth  was  en- 
graved the  name  Levi. 

IV.  Nophek.  ft?>l  This  name  is  rendered  ZvOpaS  by 
the  Septuagint  and  Josephus,  and  "  carbimculus "  by 
the  Vulgate.  This  designation,  signifying  literally  "a 
glowing  coal,"  was  used  for  certain  stones  distinguished 
by  their  peculiarly  brilliant  red  color,  such  as  the  ruby 
and  certain  fine  garnets.  While  it  is  quite  possible  that 
the  Oriental  ruby  may  have  been  in  the  breastplate  seen 
by  Josephus,  it  is  almost  certain  that  it  could  not  have 
been  in  the  original  breastplate  of  Mosaic  times,  since 
there  is  absolutely  no  proof  that  this  stone  was  known 
in  ancient  Egypt.  Hence  we  are  inclined  to  believe  that 
in  the  thirteenth  century  B.C.  the  name  nophek  designated 


CROSS,  ATTACHED  AS  PKNDANT  TO  Til  10  CROWN  OF  THIS  GOTHIC 

KINO  RKCCIOSVINTIIUS  (Ul9-t>72  A.D.). 

Forming  part  of  the  troumire  discovered  in   1S5S  tit  Cluarruziir  ia  Spain.      Now   in 
UH^O  Clviuy,    Puriw.      The  CTONB  proper  is  wet   with   fine  sapphires  cut  on   enboohoii 
IK!  t'itfht.  lar^e  pcurlH.     Natural  ai/o. 


THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  293 

the  almandine  garnet,  or  some  similar  variety  of  that 
stone.  The  Authorized  Version  has  "emerald"  here  in- 
stead of  in  the  third  place.  On  this  fourth  stone  of  the 
breastplate  was  engraved  the  tribal  name  of  Judah. 

V.  Sappir.  [TfiD.]  This  is  rendered  sapphirus  in 
all  the  old  versions.15  The  stone  cannot  have  been  our 
sapphire,  for  both  Theophrastus  and  Pliny  describe  the 
sapphirus  as  a  stone  with  golden  spots,  thus  showing 
that  they  meant  the  lapis-lazuli,  which  is  often  spotted 
with  particles  of  pyrites  having  a  golden  sheen.  This 
stone  was  named  chesbet  by  the  Egyptians,  and  was 
highly  prized  by  them,  a  quantity  of  lapis-lazuli  often 
appearing  as  an  important  item  in  the  lists  of  tribute 
paid  to  Egypt  and  among  the  gifts  sent  by  Babylonia 
to  the  Egyptian  monarchs,  and  obtained  from  the  oldest 
mines  in  the  world.  These  were  worked  at  a  period  4000 
B.C.  and  still  are  worked  to  this  day.  From  this  mate- 
rial amulets  and  figures  were  made,  many  of  which  have 
been  preserved  for  us,  and  the  Egyptian  high-priest  is 
said  to  have  worn,  suspended  from  his  neck,  an  image  of 
Mat,  the  Goddess  of  Truth,  made  of  lapis-lazuli.  The 
name  is  composed  of  the  Latin  lapis,  "a  stone/'  and 
lajuward,  the  name  of  the  stone  in  Persian.  From  this 
latter  word  is  also  derived  our  " azure."  In  ancient 
times  the  lapis-lazuli  was  the  blue  stone  par  excellence, 
because  of  its  beautiful  color  and  the  valuable  ultramarine 
dye  derived  from  it.  Although  Pliny  writes  (xxzvii,  39) 
that  this  stone  was  too  soft  for  engraving,  this  fact  need 
not  have  prevented  its  use  in  the  breastplate,  since  the 
stones  set  therein  were  not  intended  for  use  as  seals  and 
hence  were  not  subjected  to  any  wear.  In  this  connec- 

15  There  are  two  evident  transpositions  in  the  text  of  Josephus  be- 
tween the  fifth  and  sixth  and  the  eighth  and  ninth  stones  respectively. 


294    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

tion,  however,  it  is  somewhat  strange  that  the  Hebrew 
word  sappir  appears  to  indicate  a  stone  especially 
adapted  to  receive  inscriptions.  The  fact  that  the  lapis- 
lazuli  was  greatly  esteemed  in  ancient  Egypt,  and  was 
still  much  used  as  an  ornamental  stone  in  Greek  and 
Eoman  times,  renders  it  probable  that  it  was  set  not 
only  in  the  original  breastplate,  but  also  in  that  of  a  later 
age.  Upon  this  fifth  stone  the  name  Issachar  was 
inscribed. 

VI.  Yahalom.     te^ny     The  sixth  stone  of  the  ,Sep- 
tuagint  version  and  of  Josephus  is  the  faants,  probably 
green   jasper,   or   jade,    and   this   has   been   assumed 
to  show  that  in  the  original  Hebrew  text  yashpheh  was 
the  sixth  stone,  in  place  of  yahalom.    The  twelfth  stone 
of  the  Greek  version  is  the  fobpov   or  "onyx,"  and  this 
seems  to  be  the  most  probable  equivalent  of  the  Hebrew 
yahalom.    Some  Hebrew  sources,   however,   render   it 
"diamond,"  and  Luther  in  his  German  version  of  the 
Bible,  as  well  as  our  own  Authorized  Version,  trans- 
lates it  thus.    This  rendering  is  based  upon  the  deriva- 
tion of  the  word  yahalom  from  a  verb  meaning  "to 
smite,"  thus  making  the  name  of  the  stone  signify  "the 
smiter,"  a  designation  not  inappropriate  for  the  dia- 
mond, which,  because  of  its  extreme  hardness,  has  the 
power  to  cut,  or  '  <  smite, ' '  all  other  stones.    However,  for 
this  purpose  the  emery  corundum,  or  smiris-point  shamir, 
mentioned  in  Zechariah,  was  most  likely  used.    The  dia- 
mond was  certainly  not  used  in  this  way  in  very  early 
times,  although  it  is  possible  that  the  stone  was  employed 
in^  engraving  in  the  fifth  century  B.C.    These  consider- 
ations induce  us  to  prefer  the  traditional  interpretation 
of  yahalom,  and  translate  it  "onyx."    In  this  case  "the 
smiter"  could  be  explained  as  denoting  the  use  of  the  en- 
graved onyx  for  sealing,  as  the  engraved  figure  or  letters 


THE  HIGH-PKIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  295 

were  struck  upon  some  soft  material  to  make  an  impres- 
sion. Zebulim  was  the  tribal  name  inscribed  on  the 
yahalom. 

VIL  Leshem.  [Dp-bj  No  stone  in  the  breastplate 
is  more  difficult  to  determine  than  this  one.  The  Sep- 
tuagint,  Josephus,  and  the  Vulgate  all  translate  ligu- 
rius,  an  appellation  sometimes  applied  to  amber,  a  sub- 
stance quite  unfitted  for  use  in  the  breastplate  among 
the  other  engraved  stones.  Probably  the  original  sig- 
nificance of  ligurius  was  amber,  this  name  being  used 
because  Liguria,  in  northern  Italy,  was  the  chief  source 
of  supply  for  Greece  and  the  Orient;  amber  which  had 
been  gathered  on  the  shores  of  the  Baltic  being  brought 
by  traders  to  Liguria  and  forwarded  thence  to  other 
lands.  As,  however,  the  Greeks  had  another  name  for 
amber,  electron,  the  name  ligurion  appears  to  have  been 
applied  later  to  a  variety  of  the  jacinth  somewhat  re- 
sembling amber  in  color,  and  then  to  other  varieties  of 
the  same  stone.  The  original  form  of  the  name  was  evi- 
dently ligurion,  which  was  later  changed  to  lyncurion, 
and  was  then  explained  as  meaning  the  urine  of  the 
lynx  (from  xfyg,  and  <>£/™v,  urine).  This  fanciful 
etymology  gave  rise  to  the  story  that  the  ligurios,  or 
rather  lyncurius,  was  the  solidified  urine  of  the  lynx. 
The  term  lyncurion,  as  used  by  Theophrastus,  may  pos- 
sibly have  included  the  sapphire  as  well  as  the  jacinth, 
since  he  lays  especial  stress  upon  the  coldness  of  this  sub- 
stance, a  quality  characteristic  of  the  sapphire,  and  also 
of  the  still  denser  jacinth.  Hence,  it  appears  that  we 
have,  even  in  the  name  ligurius,  some  justification  for 
accepting  the  rendering  hyacinthus,  suggested  by  the  list 
of  foundation  stones  in  Eevelation  xsi,  20,  and  already 
proposed  by  Epiphanius,  Bishop  of  Constantia,  about 
400  A,D.  Whether  JiyacintTius  should  be  rendered  "sap- 


296     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

phire"  or  "  jacinth "  is  not  easy  to  determine,  as  this 
name  seems  to  have  been  used  indifferently  for  both 
stones ;  with  the  Arabs,  under  the  form  yakut,  it  became 
a  generic  term  for  all  the  varieties  of  the  corundum  gems. 
The  sapphire  was  engraved  in  Greek  and  Eoman  times 
and  is,  perhaps,  the  leshem  stone  of  the  Second  Temple. 
For  the  Mosaic  breastplate  we  are  forced  to  seek  for 
some  stone  known  in  ancient  Egypt,  where  the  sapphire 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  introduced  at  an  early  date. 
If  we  could  accept  the  suggestion  of  Brugsch  that  the 
Egyptian  neshem  stone,  reputed  to  have  wonderful  magic 
virtues,  was  the  same  as  the  Hebrew  leshem,  a  brown 
agate  would  have  been  the  seventh  stone  in  the  original 
breastplate,  as  Wendel  gives  very  strong  reasons  for 
rendering  neshem  in  this  way.  The  color  designations 
were  very  freely  used  in  Egyptian,  and  therefore  a 
reddish  or  a  yellowish  brown  agate  may  have  been  used. 
The  leshem  bore  the  tribal  name  Joseph. 

VIII.  Shebo.  [va^J  This  is  uniformly  rendered  in 
the  ancient  versions  and  in  Josephus  by  " agate,'7  a 
composite  stone  highly  esteemed  in  very  ancient  times, 
and  hence  worthy  of  a  place  among  the  stones  of  the 
breastplate;  at  a  later  period,  as  Pliny  notes  (xxxvii,  54), 
it  became  so  common  that  it  was  but  little  regarded. 
Nevertheless  the  fact  that  the  various  kinds  of  agates 
were  believed  to  have  many  talismanic  and  therapeutic 
virtues,  the  great  variety  of  coloration  observable  in 
these  stones,  and  the  curious  figures  and  markings  dis- 
played by  many  of  them,  served  to  make  them  favorite 
objects.  The  etymology  of  the  word  shebo  suggests  that 
it  designated  more  especially  a  banded  agate,  and  that 
set  in  the  proto-breastplate  was  most  probably  one  with 
gray  and  white  bands,  as  this  variety  often  appears  in 
Egyptian  work.  There  would  have  been  .no  lack  of  con- 


THE  HIGH-PKIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  297 

trast  between  this  stone  and  the  reddish  or  yellowish- 
brown  agate,  of  uniform  color,  which  may  have  occupied 
the  seventh  place.  For  the  later  breastplate  we  may 
choose  any  one  of  the  many  kinds  of  banded  agate.  This 
stone  had  engraved  upon  it  the  name  Benjamin. 

IX.  Ahlamah.    fa^na.]  As  to  this  stone  also,  all  the 
authorities  are  in  agreement,  and  render   ahlamah  by 
"amethyst."    This  was  not,  however,  the  Oriental  ame- 
thyst, a  variety  of  corundum,  but  a  dark  blue  or  purple 
variety  of  quartz.    Both  Arabia  and  Syria  furnished  a 
supply  of  amethysts.    The  Hebrew  name  shows  that  this 
stone  was  believed  to  possess  the  virtue  of  inducing 
dreams  and  visions  (cf.  halom — "dream"),  while,  as  is 
well  known,  the  Greek  name  characterizes  it  as  an  enemy 
or  preventive  of  inebriety.    The  amethyst  was  known  in 
ancient  Egypt  and  probably  was  named  hemag.    In  the 
Book  of  the  Dead  a  heart  made  of  hemag  is  mentioned, 
and  two  such  heart-shaped  amulets  of  amethyst  are  pre- 
served in  the  Boulaq  Museum.    As  the  amethyst  re- 
tained its  repute  as  a  stone  of  beauty  and  power  through 
the  Greek  and  Roman  periods,  we  may  safely  assert  that 
it  was  set  in  both  the  first  and  second  breastplates.   Upon 
the  ahlamah  was  engraved  the  name  Dan. 

X.  Tarshish.   hwynn]   The    Septuagint   renders    this 
word  "chrysolite,"  where  it  is  used  in  the  description  of 
the  breastplate,  as  does  Josephus  also.   In  the  Authorized 
Version,  "beryl"  is  the  rendering.    We  have  already 
stated  that  the  topaz  of  the  ancients  was  usually  our 
chrysolite,  or  peridot,  and  the  name  "chrysolite"  appears 
to  have  been  used  to  designate  our  topaz.    This  is  indeed 
indicated  by  the  literal  meaning  of  the  word,  "golden- 
stone."    The  tarshish  received  its  name  from  Tartessus, 
in  Spain,  an  important  commercial  station  of  the  Phoeni- 
cians.   The  stone  derived  from  this  source  was  not,  of 


298     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

course,  our  Oriental  topaz,  a  variety  of  corundum,  nor 
was  it  the  true  topaz ;  neither  is  it  at  all  likely  that  the 
name  tarshish  signified,  at  least  originally,  the  genuine 
topaz ;  most  probably  it  denoted  a  variety  of  quartz  which 
occurs  in  Spain.     This  is  originally  black,  but  is  decol- 
orized by  heating  to  a  deep  brown,  and  if  the  heating  be 
prolonged  the  stone  becomes  paler  and  eventually  en- 
tirely transparent.    The  ancients  were  familiar  with  this 
property*    In  ancient  Egyptian  records  a  stone  called 
tlielien  is  frequently  mentioned  as  a  material  from  which 
amulets  were  made.    This  Egyptian  name  signified  pri- 
marily a  "yellow  stone, "  and  might  designate  either  the 
topaz  or  the  yellow  jasper,  known  and  used  in  Egypt  at 
a  very  early  date;  the  topaz  was  probably  not  known 
there  earlier  than  500  or  600  B.C.    Hence,  in  spite  of  the 
unquestionable   difficulty  offered   by   the    geographical 
name  tarshish,  which  might  seem  to  confine  us  to  a 
Spanish  origin  for  the  stone,  the  probabilities  favor  the 
selection  of  the  yellow  jasper  as  the  tenth  gem  in  Aaron's 
breastplate.    For  that  made  with  pious  zeal  by  those  who 
labored  to  renew  the  glories  of  the  Old  Jerusalem,  we 
choose  the  topaz, — possibly,  indeed,  a  fine  specimen  of 
the  genuine  topaz, — f  or  whatever  the  quality  of  the  yellow 
stone  originally  brought  from  Tartessus,  the  name  may 
well  have  been  applied  to  the  genuine  topaz  when  that 
stone  became  known  to  the  Jews,  either  in  Babylonia,  or 
after  their  return  to  Palestine.    The  tarshish  was  en- 
graved with  the  name  Naphtali. 

XL  Shoham.  [DIW]  The  Septuagint  translates 
"beryl,"  but  in  our  Authorized  Version  and  in  that  used 
by  Roman  Catholics,  the  so-called  Douai  Version,  the 
word  is  invariably  rendered  "onyx."  Diodorus  Siculus 
and  Dionysius  Periegetes,  writing  in  the  first  century  B.C., 
are  the  first  classical  authors  who  use  the  name  beryl. 


.THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BKEASTPLATE  299 

While  this  name  does  not  appear  in  the  treatise  of  Theo- 
phrastus,  he  evidently  includes  the  beryl  among  his 
smaragdi;  indeed,  the  true  emerald  is  simply  a  variety 
of  the  beryl,  and  owes  its  beautiful  coloration  to  a  slight 
admixture  of  chromium.  The  finest  beryls  were  brought 
from  India.  Besides  the  specimen  set  in  the  breastplate, 
the  high-priest  wore  on  his  shoulders  two  shoham  stones, 
each  engraved  with  the  names  of  six  of  the  tribes.  After 
carefully  weighing  the  evidence,  we  believe  that  the 
stones  worn  by  the  high-priest  of  the  Second  Temple  were 
aquamarines  (beryls).  In  our  endeavor  to  determine  the 
sholiam  stones  used  in  Mosaic  times,  we  have  no  very 
definite  information  to  guide  us ;  on  the  whole,  the  con- 
jecture of  J.  L.  Myers,  that  they  were  malachites,  seems 
to  have  much  in  its  favor,  for  this  material  was  known 
to  the  ancient  Egyptians  and  appears  to  have  been  often 
used  for  amulets.  The  Egyptian  name  for  malachite, 
as  well  as  for  other  green  stones,  was  mafek,  and  a  ring 
of  mafek  is  mentioned  in  an  Egyptian  text ;  undoubtedly, 
at  a  later  period  in  Egyptian  history,  mafek  may  also 
have  denoted  the  beryl.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  tur- 
quoise was  unquestionably  known  to  the  Egyptians  at  a 
very  early  date,  the  supply  being  derived  from  mines  in 
the  Sinai  Peninsula,  which  were  rediscovered  by  Mac- 
donald,  we  might  be  tempted  to  suggest  that  the  shoham 
stones  were  turquoises.  The  light  blue  or  blue-green  of 
the  specimens  of  this  stone  found  on  Mt  Sinai  would 
make  an  even  better  contrast  with  the  neighboring  jade 
than  would  the  bright  green  malachite.  On  the  shoham 
of  the  breastplate  the  name  Gad  was  engraved. 

XII.  Yashphek  [na^j  If,  as  appears  almost  cer- 
tain, this  name  originally  occupied  the  sixth  place  in 
the  original  Hebrew  text,  all  the  ancient  versions  agree 


300     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

in  translating  it  " jasper. "  An  Assyrian  form  of  the 
name  was  yaslipu,  as  is  shown  by  the  Tell  el  Amarna 
letters  in  the  cuneiform  writing  dating  from  not  long 
before  the  Exodus.  Of  all  the  so-called  jaspers  none  were 
so  highly  valued  as  those  of  a  green  color.  The  talis- 
manic  and  therapeutic  qualities  of  the  "green  jaspers" 
are  often  noted  by  ancient  writers,  and,  according  to 
Galen,  these  stones  were  recommended  for  remedial  use 
by  Egyptian  writers  on  medicine.  Abel  Eemusat,  the 
great  French  Orientalist,  writing  in  1820,  was  one  of  the 
first  to  see  in  the  yashpheh  of  the  Hebrews  and  in  the 
green  jasper  of  the  Greeks  and  Eomans,  the  material 
jade  (nephrite  or  jadeite),  the  Chinese  yu-stone.  These 
minerals  were  used  both  in  the  Old  and  the  New  World, 
and  were  everywhere  believed  to  possess  wonderful 
virtues.  Very  likely  the  powers  supposed  to  charac- 
terize jade  were  later  attributed  to  green  jasper,  but 
there  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  the  true  jade  was 
always  more  highly  prized  than  its  jasper  substitute,  for 
it  was  much  rarer,  and  was  easily  distinguishable,  by  its 
translucency,  from  jasper  of  a  similar  color.  Until  quite 
recently  only  Turkestan,  Burma  and  New  Zealand  have 
supplied  jade  and  most  of  that  used  in  other  lands  came 
from  prehistoric  relics  or  from  sources  unknown  to  us.  It 
seems  highly  probable  that  the  yashpheh  which  adorned 
the  breastplate  made  for  Aaron  was  a  piece  of  nephrite  or 
jadeite;  possibly  in  the  later  breastplate  green  jasper 
may  have  been  employed.  This  stone  was  inscribed  with 
the  tribal  name  Assher. 

In  the  following  lists  of  the  precious  and  semi- 
precious stones  contained  in  the  earlier  and  later  breast- 
plates, the  writer  does  not  claim  to  have  finally  solved 
the  problem  presented  by  the  Hebrew  accounts  of  the 
high-priest's  adornment,  but  he  hopes  that  the  distinc- 


THE  HIGH-PEIEST'S  BEEASTPLATE 


301 


The 


tion  established  here  between  the  Mosaic  breastplate  and 
that  of  the  Second  Temple,  separated  from  each  other  by 
an  interval  of  eight  centuries,  may  serve  to  clear  up  some 
of  the  difficulties  encountered  in  the  treatment  of  this 
subject. 

Breastplate  of  the  Second  Temple. 

Carnelian 

Peridot 

Emerald 

Ruby 

Lapis-lazuli 

Onyx 

Sapphire  or  jacinth 

Banded  agate 

Amethyst 

Topaz 

Beryl 

Green  jasper,  or  jade 


The  Breastplate  of  Aaron. 

I    Red  jasper 
II    Light-green  serpentine 
III    Green  feldspar 
Almandine  garnet 
Lapis-lazuli 
Onyx 

Brown  agate 
Banded  agate 
Amethyst 
Yellow  jasper 
Malachite 
Green  jasper,  or  jade 


IV 

V 

VI 

VII 

VIII 

IX 

X 

XI 

XII 


The  following  lists  show  the  variations  of  the  different 
ancient  authorities  in  regard  to  the  names  of  the  gems  in 
the  breastplate  : 


Septuagint. 

Josephua 

Vulgate 

Authorized 

Revised 

Hebrew. 

(Greek) 

(Greek) 

(Latin) 

Version 

Versioa 

About  250  B.C. 

About  90  A.D. 

About  400  A.D. 

1611  A.D. 

1884  A.D. 

1 

Odem 

Sardion 

Sardonyx 

Sardius 

Sardius 

Sardius 

(or  Ruby) 

2 

Pitdah 

Topazion 

Topazoa 

Topazius 

Topaz 

Topaz 

3 

Bareketh 

Smaragdos 

Smaragdos 

Smaragdua 

Carbuncle 

Carbuncle 

(or  Emerald) 

4 

Nophak 

Anthrax 

Anthrax 

Carbunculus 

Emerald 

Emerald 

(or  Carbuncle) 

5 

Sappir 

Sappheiros 

laspis 

Sapphirius 

Sapphire 

Sapphire 

6 

Yahalom 

laapis 

Sappheiros 

Jaspis 

Diamond 

Diamond 

(or  Sardonyx) 

7 

Leshem 

Ligurion 

Liguros 

Ligurius 

Ligure 

Jacinth 

(or  Amber) 

8 

Shebo 

Achates 

Amethystos 

Achates 

Agate 

Agate 

9 

Ahlamah 

Amethyatos 

Achates 

Amethystus 

Amethyst 

Amethyst 

10 

Tarshish 

Chrysolithoe 

Chryaolithos 

Chrysolithus 

Beryl 

Beryl 

(orChalcedony; 

11 

Shoham 

Be>yllion 

Onyx 

Onychinus 

Onyx 

Onyx 

(or  Beryl) 

12 

Yashpheh 

Onychion 

B&yllos 

Beryllus 

Jasper 

Jasper 

302     THE  CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

The  high-priest's  breastplate,  as  described  in  Hebrew 
tradition,  was  regarded  by  the  Jews  with  peculiar  rev- 
erence, and  the  stones  set  in  it  were  believed  to  be  em- 
blematic of  many  things.  It  is,  therefore,  quite  natural 
that  these  stones  are  described  in  the  book  of  Eevelation 
as  the  foundation  stones  of  the  New  Jerusalem.  The 
names  are  in  some  cases  not  identical  with  those  given  in 
Exodus,  but  this  may  arise  from  various  renderings  of 
the  Hebrew  names  in  the  Targums  or  in  the  Greek 
versions. 

The  text  in  Eevelation  (xxi,  9-21)  is  as  follows: 

And  there  came  unto  me  one  of  the  seven  angels  which  had  the 
seven  vials  full  of  the  seven  last  plagues,  and  talked  with  me,  saying, 
Come  hither,  I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  Lamb's  wife : 

And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit  to  a  great  and  high  moun- 
tain, and  showed  me  that  great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending 
out  of  heaven  from  God. 

Having  the  glory  of  God:  and  her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone 
most  precious,  even  like  a  jasper-stone,  clear  as  crystal; 

And  had  a  wall  great  and  high,  and  had  twelve  gates,  and  at 
the  gates  twelve  angels,  and  names  written  thereon,  which  are  the 
names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  children  of  Israel : 

On  the  east,  three  gates;  on  the  north,  three  gates;  on  the  south, 
three  gates;  and  on  the  west,  three  gates. 

And  the  wall  of  the  city  had  twelve  foundations,  and  in  them  the 
names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb. 

And  he  that  talked  with  me  had  a  golden  reed  to  measure  the  city, 
and  the  gates  thereof,  and  the  wall  thereof. 

And  the  city  lieth  foursquare,  and  the  length  is  as  large  as  the 
breadth:  and  he  measured  the  city  with  the  reed,  twelve  thousand  fur- 
longs. The  length  and  the  breadth  and  the  height  of  it  are  equal. 

And  he  measured  the  wall  thereof,  an  hundred  and  forty  and  four 
cubits,  according  to  the  measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  the  angel. 

And  the  building  of  the  wall  of  it  was  of  jasper:  and  the  city 
was  pure  gold,  like  unto  clear  glass. 


THE  HIGH-PEIBST'S  BREASTPLATE  303 

And  the  foundations  of  the  wall  of  the  city  were  garnished  with 
all  manner  of  precious  stones.  The  first  foundation  was  jasper;  the 
second,  sapphire;  the  third,  a  chalcedony;  the  fourth,  an  emerald; 

The  fifth,  sardonyx;  the  sixth,  sardius;  the  seventh,  chrysolite; 
the  eighth,  beryl;  the  ninth,  a  topaz;  the  tenth,  a  chrysoprasus ;  the 
eleventh,  a  jacinth;  the  twelfth,  an  amethyst. 

And  the  twelve  gates  were  twelve  pearls;  every  several  gate  was 
of  one  pearl:  and  the  street  of  the  city  was  pure  gold,  as  it  were 
transparent  glass. 

It  is  easy  to  trace  in  this  description  the  substitution 
of  the  twelve  apostles  for  the  twelve  tribes  in  connection 
with  the  precious  stones  enumerated,  and,  besides  this, 
we  also  have  the  twelve  angels,  associated  at  a  later  date 
with  the  months  and  the  signs  of  the  zodiac. 

Of  the  twelve  foundation  stones  the  Eevelation  of 
St.  John  expressly  states  that  they  had  "in  them  the 
names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb."  The  assign- 
ment of  each  stone  to  the  respective  apostle  was  made 
in  later  times  according  to  the  order  given  in  the  lists  of 
the  apostles  contained  in  the  so-called  Synoptic  Gospels, 
Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke.  These  lists  are  not  quite 
identical — Andrew,  for  instance,  being  placed  second  in 
Matthew  and  Luke,  but  fourth  in  Mark — and  the  same 
stone  was  not  always  assigned  to  a  given  apostle.  Fre- 
quently the  list  was  modified  by  the  addition  of  the 
apostle  Paul,  really  the  thirteenth  apostle.  In  this  ease 
he  was  usually  given  the  second  place  immediately  after 
St.  Peter,  and  to  the  brothers  James  and  John,  the  "Sons 
of  Thunder/7  was  assigned  a  single  stone;  in  some  later 
arrangements  St.  Paul  occupies  the  last  place,  after  St. 
Matthias,  who  was  chosen  to  take  the  place  of  Judas 
Iscariot,  and  whose  name  as  an  apostle  first  appears  in 
the  Acts. 


304     THE  CUKIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 
LISTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES. 

Gospel  of  Gospel  of  Gospel  of 

St.  Matthew  St.  Mark  St.  Luke 

x,  2-4.  iii,  16-19.  vi,  14-16. 

Peter  Peter  Peter 

Andrew  James  Andrew 

James  John  James 

John  Andrew  John 

Philip  Philip  Philip 

Bartholomew  Bartholomew  Bartholomew 

Thomas  Matthew  Matthew 

Matthew  Thomas  Thomas 

James  the  Less  James  the  Less  James  the  Less 

Thaddeus  Thaddeus  Simon  Zelotes 

Simon  Zelotes  Simon  Zelotes  Judas 

Judas  Iseariot  Judas  Iscariot  Judas  Iscariot 

The  passage  in  Bevelation  xxi,  19,  20,  is  not  the  only 
one  in  that  book  treating  of  precious  stones,  for  we  read 
in  chapter  iv,  2,  3 : 

And  immediately  I  was  in  the  Spirit:  and,  behold,  a  throne  was 
set  in  heaven,  and  one  sat  on  the  throne. 

And  he  that  sat  was  to  look  upon  like  a  jasper  and  a  sardine 
stone:  and  there  was  a  rainbow  round  about  the  throne,  in  sight  like 
unto  an  emerald. 

The  commentators,  both  ancient  and  modern,  have 
given  many  different  explanations  of  the  symbolic  mean- 
ing of  the  similes  employed  here.  Some  have  seen  in  the 
two  stones  a  type  of  the  two  judgments  of  the  world,  by 
fire  and  by  water ;  others  find  that  they  signify  the  holi- 
ness of  God  and  his  justice.  Of  the  rainbow  "like  nnto 
an  emerald/'  Alford  says  we  should  not  think  it  strange 
that  the  bow  is  green,  instead  of  prismatic:  "the  form 
is  that  of  the  covenant  bow,  the  color  even  more  refresh- 
ing and  more  directly  symbolizing  grace  and  mercy.  * ' 16 

1G Alford,  "The  Greek  Testament,"  voL  iv,  Pt  2,  p.  594. 


THE  HIGH-PRIEST'S  BREASTPLATE  305 

The  significance  of  the  twelve  Apocalyptic  gems  is 
given  by  Babanus  Maurus,  Archbishop  of  Mainz  (786- 
856 ),  in  the  following  words : 17 

In  the  jasper  is  figured  the  truth  of  faith;  in  the  sapphire,  the 
height  of  celestial  hope;  in  the  chalcedony,  the  flame  of  inner  charity. 
In  the  emerald  is  expressed  the  strength  of  faith  in  adversity;  in  the 
sardonyx,  the  humility  of  the  saints  in  spite  of  their  virtues;  in  the 
sard,  the  venerable  blood  of  the  martyrs.  In  the  chrysolite,  indeed,  is 
shown  true  spiritual  preaching  accompanied  by  miracles;  in  the  beryl, 
the  perfect  operation  of  prophecy;  in  the  topaz,  the  ardent  contem- 
plation of  the  prophecies.  Lastly,  in  the  chrysoprase  is  demonstrated 
the  work  of  the  blessed  martyrs  and  their  reward;  in  the  hyacinth,  the 
celestial  rapture  of  the  learned  in  their  high  thoughts  and  their  humble 
descent  to  human  things  out  of  regard  for  the  weak;  in  the  amethyst, 
the  constant  thought  of  the  heavenly  kingdom  in  humble  souls, 

The  origin  of  the  foundation  stones  named  in  Beve- 
lation  xxi,  19,  20,  may  be  found  in  the  text,  Isaiah  liv, 
11,  12,  where  we  read: 

0  thou  afflicted,  tossed  with  tempest,  and  not  comforted,  behold, 
I  will  lay  thy  stones  with  fair  colours,  and  lay  thy  foundations  with 
sapphires. 

And  I  will  make  thy  windows  of  agates,  and  thy  gates  of  car- 
buncles, and  all  thy  borders  of  pleasant  stones. 

As  we  see,  only  three  stones  are  mentioned  by  name : 
the  sapphire,  the  carbuncle,  and  "agates."  This  ]ast 
rendering  is  quite  doubtful,  as  the  Hebrew  word  (Jtod- 
kodim)  signifies  shining  or  gleaming  stones,  and  their 
use  for  windows  indicates  that  they  must  have  been 
transparent*  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  in  later  times 
the  twelve  stones  of  the  breastplate,  dedicated  to  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  were  used  to  fill  out  and  com- 

"  Rabani  Mauri,  "  Opera  Omixia,"  vol.  v,  col.  470.    Pati*ologico  Lat, 
vol.  cxi7  Parisiis,  1864. 
20 


306     THE  CUKIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

plete  the  picture,  following  the  indication  given  by  the 
general  terms  " stones  with  fair  colours "  and  "pleasant 
stones. " 

In  commenting  on  this  text  Eabbi  Johanan  is  quoted 
in  the  Babylonian  Talmud  as  saying  that  God  would 
bring  jewels  and  pearls  thirty  ells  square  (twenty  ells 
in  height  and  ten  in  width)  and  would  place  them  on  the 
gates  of  Jerusalem.  There  may  be  in  this  some  remi- 
niscence of  the  Apocalyptic  foundation  stones.  A  scep- 
tical disciple  said  to  the  Eabbi,  "We  do  not  ever  find  a 
jewel  as  large  as  the  egg  of  a  dove."  But  not  long  after- 
ward, when  this  same  disciple  was  sailing  in  a  boat  on 
the  sea,  he  saw  angels  sawing  stones  as  immense  as  those 
described  by  Eabbi  Johanan,  and  when  he  asked  for  what 
they  were  designed,  the  reply  was,  "The  Holy  One, 
blessed  be  He,  will  place  them  on  the  gates  of  Jerusa- 
lem/'18 

18 "New  Edition  of  the  Babylonian  Talmud,"  ed.  and  trans,  by 
Michael  L.  Rodkinson,  vol.  v  (xiii),  New  York,  1902,  p.  210.  Baba 
Batra. 


IX 


origin  of  the  belief  that  to  each,  month  of  the  year 
a  special  stone  was  dedicated,  and  that  the  stone 
of  the  month  was  endowed  with  a  peculiar  virtue  for 
those  born  in  that  month  and  was  their  natal  stone?  may 
be  traced  back  to  the  writings  of  Josephus,  in  the  first 
century  of  our  era,  and  to  those  of  St.  Jerome,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  fifth  century.  Both  these  authors  dis- 
tinctly proclaim  the  connection  between  the  twelve  stones 
of  the  high-priest's  breastplate  and  the  twelve  months  of 
the  year,  as  well  as  the  twelve  zodiacal  signs.  Strange  to 
say,  however,  in  spite  of  this  early  testimony,  we  have  no 
instance  of  the  usage  of  wearing  such  stones  as  natal 
stones  until  a  comparatively  late  date  ;  indeed,  it  appears 
that  this  custom  originated  in  Poland  some  time  during 
the  eighteenth  century.  The  reason  for  this  seems  to 
have  been  that  the  virtues  attributed  to  each  particular 
stone,  more  especially  the  therapeutic  virtues,  rendered 
it  necessary  to  recommend  the  wearing  of  one  or  the 
other,  according  to  the  disease  from  which  the  person  was 
suffering,  for  his  natal  stone  might  not  have  the  power 
'to  cure  his  particular  ailment,  or  might  not  bring  about 
the  fulfilment  of  his  dearest  wish.  In  other  words,  the 
belief  in  the  special  virtues  of  the  stone  was  paramount, 
and  it  was  long  before  the  mystic  bond  between  the  stone 
of  the  month  and  the  person  born  in  that  month  was 
fully  realized. 

The  order  in  which  the  foundation  stones  of  the  New 
Jerusalem  are  given  in  the  book  of  Eevelation  cleter- 

307 


308     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

mined  the  suecssion  of  natal  stones  for  the  months.  The 
first  stone  was  assigned  to  St.  Peter  and  to  the  month 
of  March,  to  the  leader  of  the  apostles  and  to  the  month 
of  the  spring  equinox;  the  second  to  the  month  of  April; 
the  third  to  May,  etc.  When,  however,  many  centuries 
later,— probably  in  Poland,  as  we  have  stated,— with  the 
aid  of  the  rabbis  or  the  Hebrew  gem  traders,  the  wearing 
of  natal  stones  became  nsnal,  certain  changes  had  been 
made  in  this  order  and  some  stones  not  mentioned  among 
those  of  the  breastplate,  or  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  were 
substituted  for  certain  of  these, — notably  the  turquoise 
for  the  month  of  December,  the  ruby  for  July,  and  the 
diamond  for  April.  In  modern  times  the  turquoise  has 
become  the  stone  for  July  while  the  ruby  has  been  as- 
signed to  December. 

There  is  some  evidence  in  favor  of  the  theory  that  at 
the  outset  all  twelve  stones  were  acquired  by  the  same 
person  and  worn  in  turn,  each  one  during  the  respective 
month  to  which  it  was  assigned,  or  during  the  ascendancy 
of  its  zodiacal  sign.  The  stone  of  the  month  was  be- 
lieved to  exercise  its  therapeutic  or  talismanic  virtue  to 
the  fullest  extent  at  that  period.  Perhaps  the  fact  that 
this  entailed  a  monthly  change  of  ornaments  may  rather 
have  been  a  recommendation  of  the  usage  than  the 
reverse.1 

It  seems  highly  probable  that  the  development  of  the 
belief  in  natal  stones  that  took  place  in  Poland  was  due 
to  the  influence  of  the  Jews  who  settled  in  that  country 
shortly  before  we  have  historic  notice  of  the  use  of  the 
twelve  stones  for  those  born  in  the  respective  months. 
The  lively  interest  always  felt  by  the  Jews  regarding  the 
gems  of  the  breastplate,  the  many  and  various  commen- 

*Bruckmann,  "  Abhandlung  von  Edelsteinen/'  2d  ecL,  Braunscli- 
1773,  p.  358. 


BIETH-STONES  309 

taries  their  learned  men  have  written  upon  this  subject, 
and  the  fact  that  the  well-to-do  among  the  chosen  people 
have  always  carried  with  them  in  their  wanderings  many 
precious  stones,  all  this  seems  to  make  it  likely  that  to 
the  Jews  should  be  attributed  the  fashion  of  wearing 
natal  stones. 

However,  whether  this  conjecture  be  correct  or  erro- 
neous, the  fashion  once  started  became  soon  quite  gen- 
eral and  has  as  many  votaries  to-day  as  ever  before. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  owner  of  a  ring  or  orna- 
ment set  with  a  natal  stone  is  impressed  with  the  idea  of 
possessing  something  more  intimately  associated  with 
his  or  her  personality  than  any  other  stone,  however 
beautiful  or  costly  it  may  be.  If  it  be  objected  that  this 
is  nothing  but  imagination  due  to  sentiment,  we  must 
bear  in  mind  that  imagination  is  one  of  the  most  potent 
factors  in  our  life ;  indeed,  the  great  Napoleon  is  quoted 
as  saying  that  it  ruled  the  world. 

Probably  the  very  earliest  text  we  have  in  which  the 
stones  of  the  breastplate  are  positively  associated  with 
the  months  of  the  year  is  to  be  found  in  the  "  Antiquities 
of  the  Jews,  "by  Flavius  Josephus.2  This  runs  as  follows : 

Moreover,  the  vestments  of  the  high-priest  being  made  of  linen 
signifies  the  earth,  the  blue  denotes*  the  sky,  being  like  lightning  in  its 
pomegranates,  and  resembling  thunder  in  the  noise  of  the  bells.  And  as 
for  the  ephod,  it  showed  that  God  had  made  the  universe  of  four  ele- 
ments, and  as  for  the  gold  interwoven  in  it,  I  suppose  it  related  to  the 
splendor  by  which  all  things  are  to  be  enlightened.  He  also  appointed 
the  breastplate  to  be  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  ephod  to  resemble  the 
earth,  for  that  occupies  the  middle  place  in  the  world;  and  the  girdle, 

3Flavii  Joseph!,  ed.  Dindorf,  Parisii,  1847,  vol.  ii,  p.  97;  "  Antiq. 
Jud,"  lib.  iii,  cap.  7,  paragraph  7.  In  the  second  century,  Clemens 
Alexandrinus  (lib.  v,  cap.  6)  repeats  this  idea  of  Josephus,  adding  that 
the  four  rows  in  which  the  gems  were  disposed  signified  the  four  seasons 
of  the  year. 


310     THE  CUEIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

which  encompassed  the  high  priest  about,  signifies  the  ocean,  for  that 
goes  about  everything.  And  the  two  sardonyxes  that  were  in  the  clasps 
on  the  high-priest's  shoulders,  indicate  to  us  the  sun  and  the  maon. 
And  for  the  twelve  stones,  whether  we  understand  by  them  the  months, 
or  the  twelve  signs  of  what  the  Greeks  call  the  zodiac,  we  shall  not  be 
mistaken  in  their  meaning.  And  for  the  cap,  which  was  of  a  blue 
color,  it  seems  to  me  to-  mean  heaven,  for  otherwise  the  name  of  God 
would  not  have  been  inscribed  upon  it.  That  it  was  also  adorned 
with  a  crown,  and  that  of  gold  also,  is  because  of  the  splendor  with 
which  God  is  pleased. 

This  passage  was  adapted  by  St.  Jerome,  three  hun- 
dred years  later,  in  his  letter  to  Fabiola,3  and  undoubt- 
edly laid  the  foundation  for  the  later  custom  of  wearing 
one  of  these  stones  as  a  natal  or  birth-stone  for  a  person 
born  in  a  given  month,  or  for  an  astral  or  zodiacal  stone 
for  one  born  under  a  given  zodiacal  sign.  As  we  see, 
both  uses  are  indicated  by  the  passage  of  Josephus.  In 
the  later  centuries,  as  the  book  of  Revelation,  which  was 
generally  less  favored  at  the  outset  than  the  other  parts 
of  the  New  Testament,  became  a  subject  of  devout  study, 
and  a  mine  of  mystical  suggestions,  the  twelve  founda- 
tion stones  (Rev.  xxi,  19)  of  the  New  Jerusalem  largely 
took  the  place  of  the  stones  of  the  breastplate.  While 
this  list  of  foundation  stones  is  unquestionably  based 
upon  the  much  earlier  list  of  the  stones  adorning  Aaron's 
breastplate,  the  ordering  differs  considerably  and  there 
are  some  changes  in  the  material ;  possibly  many,  if  not 
all,  of  these  differences  may  be  due  to  textual  errors  or 
to  a  transcription  from  memory. 

That  the  foundation  stones  were  inscribed  with  the 
names  of  the  apostles  is  expressly  stated  (Rev.  xxi,  14), 
but  it  was  not  until  the  eighth  or  ninth  century  that  the 
commentators  on  Revelation  busied  themselves  with 

cSaneti  Hieronymi,  "Opera  Omnia,"  ed.  Migne,  Parisiis,  1S77, 
vol.  i,  col.  616;  Epistola  Ixiv,  paragraph  16. 


BIRTH-STONES  311 

finding  analogies  between  these  stones  and  tlie  apostles. 
At  the  outset,  the  symbolism  of  the  stones  was  looked 
upon  from  a  purely  religious  standpoint.  Few  of  the 
early  fathers — we  may  except  Epiphanius — thought  or 
cared  much  for  the  stones  themselves,  or  knew  much  of 
them ;  but,  in  time,  their  natural  beauty  became  more  and 
more  highly  developed  as  the  lapidarian  art  demanded 
better  cut  and  choicer  material,  their  supposed  virtues 
came  to  the  fore,  and  the  symbolism  was  strengthened  and 
emphasized  by  a  reference  to  their  innate  qualities  and 
also  to  their  peculiar  powers.  The  fact  that  this  part  of 
the  tradition  was  rather  of  pagan  than  of  Christian 
origin  probably  contributed  to  render  it  less  attractive 
to  the  early  Christians,  so  that  it  was  not  until  Chris- 
tianity had  become  practically  universal  in  the  Greek  and 
Eoman  world  and  the  opposition  to  pagan  traditions,  as 
such,  was  weakened  and,  indeed,  largely  forgotten,  that 
the  virtues  of  the  stones  were  made  prominent,  and  cer- 
tain parts  of  these  superstitions  were  retained,  as  were 
some  of  the  pagan  ceremonies  in  the  Christian  religion. 
One  of  the  earliest  writers  to  associate  directly  with 
the  apostles  the  symbolism  of  the  gems  given  as  founda- 
tion stones  of  the  New  Jerusalem  by  St.  John  in  Kevela- 
tion  xxi,  19,  is  Andreas,  bishop  of  C&sarea.  This  author 
was  at  one  time  assigned  by  critics  to  the  fifth  century 
A.D./  but  more  recent  investigation  has  shown  that  he 
probably  belonged  to  the  last  half  of  the  tenth  century. 
His  exposition  reads  as  follows : 5 

The  jasper,  which  like  the  emerald  is  of  a  greenish  hue,  probably 
signifies  St.  Peter,  chief  of  the  apostles,  as  one  who  so  bore  Christ's 
death  in  his  inmost  nature  that  his  love  for  Him  was  always  vigorous 

*  Lueke,  "  Versuch  einer  Eiuleitung-  in  die  Offenbarung  Johannes," 
Bonn,  1852,  p.  964. 

'Patrologiss  GKOCJC,  ed.  Migne,  vol.  cvi,  Parisiis,  1863,  cols. 
433-438. 


312     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PBECIOUS  STONES 

and  fresh.     By  his  fervent  faith  he  has  become  our  shepherd  and 
leader. 

As  the  sapphire  is  likened  to  the  heavens  (from  this  stone  is  made 
a  color  popularly  called  lazur),  I  conceive  it  to  mean  St.  Paul,  since 
he  was  caught  up  to  the  third  heaven,  where  his  soul  was  firmly 
fixed.  Thither  he  seeks  to  draw  all  those  who  may  he  obedient  to  him. 

The  chalcedony  was  not  inserted  in  the  high-priest's  breastplate, 
but  instead  the  carbuncle,  of  whieh  no  mention  is  made  here.  It  may 
well  be,  however,  that  the  author  designated  the  carbuncle  by  the  name 
chalcedony.  Andrew,  then,  can  be  likened  to  the  carbuncle,  since  he 
was  splendidly  illumined  by  the  fire  of  the  Spirit. 

The  emerald,  which  is  of  a  green  color,  is  nourished  with  oil,  that 
its  transparency  and  beauty  may  not  change;  we  conceive  this  stone 
to  signify  John  the  Evangelist.  He,  indeed,  soothed  the  souls  de- 
jected by  sin  with  a  divine  oil,  and  by  the  grace  of  his  excellent 
doctrine  lends  constant  strength  to  our  faith. 

By  the  sardonyx,  showing  with  a  certain  transparency  and  purity 
the  color  of  the  human  nail,  we  believe  that  James  is  denoted,  seeing 
that  he  bore  death,  for  Christ  before  all  others.  This  the  nail  by  its 
color  indicates,  for  it  may  be  cut  off  without  any  sensible  pain. 

The  sardius  with  its  tawny  and  translucent  coloring  suggests 
fire,  and  it  possesses  the  virtue  of  healing  tumors  and  wounds  inflicted 
by  iron;  hence  I  consider  that  it  designates  the  beauty  of  virtue  char- 
acterizing the  apostle  Philip,  for  his  virtue,  animated  by  the  fire  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  cured  the  soul  of  the  wounds  inflicted  by  the  wiles 
of  the  devil,  and  revived  it. 

The  chrysolite,  gleaming  with  the  splendor  of  gold,  may  symbolize 
Bartholomew,  since  he  was  illustrious  for  his  divine  preaching  and 
his  store  of  virtues. 

The  beryl,  imitating  the  colors  of  the  sea  and  of  the  air,  and  not 
unlike  the  jacinth,  seems  to  suggest  the  admirable  Thomas,  especially 
as  he  made  a  long  journey  by  sea,  and  even  reached  the  Indies,  sent 
by  God  to  preach  salvation  to  the  peoples  of  that  region. 

The  topaz,  whieh  is  of  a  ruddy  color,  resembling  somewhat  the 
carbuncle,  stops  the  discharge  of  the  milky  fluid  with  which  those 
having  eye-disease  suffer.  This  seems  to  denote  Matthew,  for  he  was 
animated  by  a  divine  zeal,  and,  his  blood  being  fired  because  of 
Christ,  he  was  found  worthy  to  enlighten  by  his  Gospel  those  whose 
heart  was  blinded,  that  they  might  like  new-born  children  drink  of 
the  milk  of  the  faith. 

The   clirysoprase,   more  brightly  tinged  with  a  golden  hue  than 


FACSIMILE    OF   THE    BETROTHAL    KING   OF    T1IK    VIRGIN    IN 
THE    CATIIEDKAL  OF  PERUGIA. 

The  original  rin^,  whifh  i.s  of  chalcedony,  in  shown  on  St.  Agatha's 
Day,  July  2t>,  to  euro  ailments  of  mothers.  This  cord  and  facsimile*  of  ring 
acquired  by  the  author  ; :it  Perugia,  May  (5,  1902. 


BIRTH-STONES  313 

gold  itself,  symbolizes  St.  Thaddaeus;  the  gold  (chrysos)  symbolizing 
the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  the  prassius,  Christ's  death,  both  of  which 
he  preached  to  Abgar,  King  of  Edessa. 

The  jacinth,  which  is  of  a  celestial  hue,  signifies  Simon  Zelotes, 
zealous  for  the  gifts  and  grace  of  Christ  and  endowed  with  a  celestial 
prudence. 

By  the  amethyst,  which  shows  to  the  onlooker  a  fiery  aspect,  is 
signified  Matthias,  who  in  the  gift  of  tongues  was  so  filled  with  celestial 
fire  and  with  fervent  zeal  to  serve  and  please  God,  who  had  chosen  him, 
that  he  was  found  worthy  to  take  the  place  of  the  apostate  Judas. 

Some  theologians  were  opposed  to  the  assignment  of 
the  foundation  stones  to  the  apostles,  for  they  held  that 
only  Christ  himself  could  be  regarded  as  the  foundation 
of  his  Church.  Hence  the  symbolism  of  these  stones  was 
made  to  apply  to  Christ  alone,  the  color  of  the  stone  often 
guiding  the  commentator  in  his  choice  of  ideas  denoted 
by  the  different  gems.  Thus,  one  writer,  applying  all  the 
meanings  to  Christ,  finds  that  the  greenish  Jasper  de- 
notes satisfaction;  the  sky-blue  Sapphire,  the  soul;  the 
bright-red  Chalcedony,  zeal  for  truth;  the  transparent 
green  Emerald,  kindness  and  goodness;  the  nail-colored 
Sardonyx,  the  strength  of  spiritual  life ;  the  red  Sardius, 
readiness  to  shed  His  blood  for  the  Church;  the  yellow 
Chrysolite,  the  excellence  of  His  divine  nature ;  the  sea,- 
green  Beryl,  moderation  and  the  control  of  the  passions ; 
the  glass-green  Topaz  (chrysolite?),  uprightness;  the 
harsh-colored  Chrysoprase,  sternness  towards  sinners; 
the  violet  or  purple  Jacinth,  royal  dignity,  and,  lastly,  the 
purple  Amethyst,  with  a  touch  of  red,  perfection.6 

Andreas  of  Csesarea  freely  recognizes  his  indebted- 
ness to  the  much  more  ancient  source,  St.  Epiphanius, 
bishop  of  Constantia  in  Cyprus,  who  died  in  402  A.D., 
and  who  wrote  a  short  but  very  valuable  treatise  on  the 

"Georgius  Vitringa,  "  Nauwkeurige  onderzoek  van  de  goddelyke 
Openbaxing  der  H.  Apostels  Johannes,"  Dutch  trans,  of  Latin  by  M. 
Gargon,  Amsterdam,  1728,  vol.  ii,  p.  681. 


314     THE  CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

stones  of  the  breastplate,  noting  in  several  cases  the  ther- 
apeutic and  talismanic  virtues  of  these  stones  and  giving 
his  opinion  as  to  the  order  in  which  the  names  of  the 
tribes  were  inscribed  upon  them.7  As  the  foundation 
stones  of  Eevelation  are  rightly  called  "apostolic 
stones,"  so  those  of  the  breastplate  merit  the  designa- 
tion of  "tribal  stones,"  as  well  as  that  of  astral  stones; 
indeed,  the  Jews  of  medieval  times  definitely  associated 
the  tribes  with  the  zodiacal  signs  in  the  following  order : 

Judah Aries 

Issacliar Taurus 

Zebulun Gemini 

Reuben Cancer 

Simeon Leo 

Gad Virgo 

Ephraim .Libra 

Manasseh . .  Scorpio 

Benjamin Sagittarius 

Dan Capricorn 

Naphtali Aquarius 

Asher Pisces 

For  Eabanus  Maurus  the  nine  gems  of  the  king  of 
Tyre  named  in  Ezekiel  xxxviii,  13,  are  types  of  the  nine 
orders  of  angels,  just  as  the  twelve  foundation  stones  of 
Eevelation  signify  the  twelve  apostles.8 

It  is  evident,  from  early  ajid  later  usage,  that,  at  the 
place  and  time  where  and  when  these  stones  were  first 
utilized  for  birth-stones,  the  year  must  have  begun  with 
the  month  of  March.  This  will  be  apparent  when  we 
compare  the  following  eight  lists,  carefully  gathered  from 
various  sources : 

7  Sancti  Patris  Epiphanii  episcopi  Cypri  ad  Diodomm  Tyri  epis- 
eopuni,  "De  XII.  Gemmis,  quae  erant  in  veste  Aaronis/'  od.  Gesner, 
Tiguri,  1565. 

8Eabaiii  Mauri,  "Opera  Omnia,"  vol.  v,  col.  465;  in  Patrologise 
Latinse,  ed.  Migne,  vol.  xvi,  Paris,  1864. 


BIBTH-STONES 


315 


December.  .  .  . 

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Aquamarin 

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Hyacinth 
Pearl 

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316     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

It  may  be  interesting  to  show  in  these  eight  lists  the 
stones  which  are  most  favored  in  each  month  in  the 
following  way,  the  numerals  indicating  the  number  of 
lists  in  which  the  stones  appear  (including  the  alternate 
stones) : 

January Garnet  7,  hyacinth  2. 

February Amethyst  8,  hyacinth  1,  pearl  1. 

March Jasper  5,  bloodstone  4. 

April Sapphire  7,  diamond  2. 

May Agate  5,  emerald  4?  chalcedony  1,  carnelian  1. 

June Emerald  4,  agate  4,  chalcedony  3,  turquoise  1,  pearl  1, 

eat's-eye  1. 

July Onyx  5,  sardonyx  1,  earnelian  1,  ruby  1,  turquoise  1. 

August Carnelian  5,  sardonyx  3,  moonstone  1,  topaz  1,  alex- 
andrite 1. 

September  . . .  Chrysolite  6,  sardonyx  2. 

October Beryl,  8,  aquamarine  5,  opal  1. 

November  . . .  Topaz  8,  pearl  1. 

December Euby  6,  turquoise  2,  chrysoprase  1,  bloodstone  1. 

With  the  exception  of  January,  where  we  have  the 
garnet  instead  of  the  jacinth,  and  of  December,  which 
gives  us  the  ruby  instead  of  the  chrysoprase,  the  first 
choices  are  practically  identical  with  the  foundation 
stones,  bearing  in  mind  that  the  eleventh  stone  is  that  for 
January,  the  twelfth  that  for  February,  the  first  that  for 
March  and  so  on. 

Of  the  assignment  of  the  natal  stones  to  the  different 
months  of  the  year  or  to  the  zodiacal  signs,  Poujet  fils, 
writing  in  1762,  states  that  in  his  opinion  this  fashion 
started  in  Germany— others  say  in  Poland— some  two 
centuries  before  his  time,  and  he  adds  that,  though  this 
arrangement  was  purely  imaginary,  and  unknown  to  an- 
cient ^  writers,  it  soon  became  popular,  and  many,  more 
especially  of  the  fair  sex,  seeing  in  it  an  element  of  mys- 
tery, wished  to  wear  rings  set  with  the  stone  appropriate 


BIRTH-STONES  317 

to  the  month  of  their  birth,  the  stone  being  engraved  with 
the  appropriate  zodiacal  sign.9  However  correct  Poujet 
may  be  regarding  the  period  at  which  the  fashion  of 
wearing  natal  rings  was  introduced,  he  is,  as  we  have 
already  shown,  quite  wrong  in  believing  that  the  serial 
arrangement  of  the  stones  and  their  assignment  to 
months  or  signs  was  purely  imaginary,  for  it  is  unques- 
tionably based  on  the  list  in  Revelation,  which  in  its  turn 
goes  back  to  the  twelve  stones  of  the  high-priest's  breast- 
plate. 

The  fashion  of  wearing  a  series  of  twelve  stones  de- 
noting (or  bearing)  the  zodiacal  signs  seems  to  have  ex- 
isted in  the  sixteenth  century,  for  Catherine  de'  Medici 
is  said  to  have  worn  a  girdle  set  with  twelve  stones, 
among  which  were  certain  onyxes  as  large  as  crown- 
pieces,  upon  which  talismanic  designs  had  been  engraved. 
Two  hundred  years  later  this  girdle  is  stated  to  have  been 
in  the  possession  of  a  M.  d'Ennery,  whose  collection  of 
antique  medals  was  regarded  as  the  finest  in  Paris  at  the 
time.10  It  is  not,  however,  certain  that  the  twelve  stones 
of  Catherine's  girdle  were  those  attributed  to  the  zodiacal 
signs  both  at  an  earlier  and  later  period. 

Though  the  substitution  of  a  new  schedule  for  the  time- 
honored  list  of  birth-stones  has  received  the  approval 
of  the  National  Association  of  Jewellers  at  the  meeting 
in  Kansas  City  August,  1912,  it  can  scarcely  be  said  to 
offer  a  satisfactory  solution  of  the  question,  which  has 
its  importance  not  only  from  a  commercial  point  of  view, 
but  also  because  the  idea  that  birth-stones  possess  a  cer- 
tain indefinable,  but  none  the  less  real  significance,  has 
long  been  present  and  still  exercises  a  spell  over  the 

*  Poujet  fils,  "  TraitS  des  pierres  precieusas/7  Paris,  1762,  p.  4. 
10  Poujet  fils,  I.e. 


318     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

minds  of  all  who  are  gifted  with  a  touch  of  imagination, 
or  romance,  if  you  will.  The  longing  for  something  that 
appeals  to  this  sense  is  much  more  general  than  is  com- 
monly supposed,  and  is  a  not  unnatural  reaction  against 
the  progress  of  materialism,  against  the  assertion  that 
there  is  nothing  in  heaven  or  earth  but  what  we  can  defi- 
nitely apprehend  through  our  senses. 

It  is  this  persuasion  that  should  be  chiefly  considered 
in  any  attempt  to  tamper  with  the  traditional  attribution 
of  the  stones  to  particular  months  or  to  the  zodiacal  signs. 
Once  we  allow  the  spirit  of  commercialism  pure  and 
simple  to  dictate  the  choice  of  such  stones,  according  to 
the  momentary  interest  of  dealers,  there  is  grave  danger 
that  the  only  true  incentive  to  acquire  birth-stones  will 
be  weakened  and  people  will  lose  interest  in  them.  Sen- 
timent, true  sentiment,  is  one  of  the  best  things  in  human 
nature.  "While  if  darkened  by  fear  it  may  lead  to  pes- 
simism, with  all  the  evils  which  such  a  state  of  mind  im- 
plies, if  illumined  by  hope  it  gives  to  humanity  a  brighter 
forecast  of  the  future,  an  optimism  that  helps  people 
over  difficult  passages  in  their  lives.  Thus,  sentiment 
must  not  be  neglected,  and  nothing  is  more  likely  to  de- 
stroy it  than  the  conviction  that  it  is  being  constantly 
exploited  for  purposes  of  commercialism.  For  this 
reason,  the  interest  as  well  as  the  inclination  of  all  who 
are  concerned  in  this  question  of  birth-stones  should  in- 
duce a  very  careful  handling  of  the  subject. 

Quite  true  it  is  that  there  are  now,  and  have  been  in 
the  past,  several  lists  of  these  stones,  differing  slightly 
from  one  another,  but  all  are  based  essentially  either 
upon  the  list  of  foundation  stones  given  in  Eevelation 
(xxi,  19)  or  upon  that  of  the  gems  adorning  the  breast- 
plate of  Aaron  and  enumerated  in  Exodus  (xxxix,  10-13). 
For  convenient  reference,  we  give  the  latter  according  to 


BIRTH-STONES  319 

the  Authorized  Version  of  the  Scriptures,  and  also  as  cor- 
rected by  later  research,  and  the  former  according  to  the 
Authorized  Version. 

Breastplate.  Foundation  Stones. 

Authorized  Version.         Later  Correction.  Authorized  Version. 

I  Sardius  Carnelian  Jasper 

II  Topaz  Chrysolite  Sapphire 

(peridot) 

III  Carbuncle  Emerald  Chalcedony 

IV  Emerald                 Ruby  Emerald 
V               Sapphire                  Lapis-Iazuli  Sardonyx 

VI  Diamond  Onyx  Sardius 

VII  Ligure  Sapphire  Chrysolite 

VIII  Agate  Agate  Beryl 

IX  Amethyst  Amethyst  Topaz 

X  Beryl  Topaz  Chrysoprasus 

XI  Onyx  Beryl  Jacinth 

XII  Jasper  Jasper  Amethyst 

While  the  arrangement  differs  in  Revelation,  the 
stones  are  nearly  identical.  For  chalcedonins,  we  should 
probably  read  carchedonius,  a  name  of  the  ruby;  sar- 
donyx is  the  onyx  of  Exodus;  the  jacinth  (sapphire)  is 
probably  the  "ligure";  the  sapphire  was  the  lapis-lazuli, 
and  sardius  is  equivalent  to  carnelian.  There  thus  re- 
mains only  the  chrysoprase,  which  for  some  reason 
has  substituted  the  agate.  In  the  eventual  association  of 
the  foundation  stones  with  the  months,  the  first,  the 
jasper,  was  assigned  to  March,  with  which  month  the  year 
was  reckoned  to  begin. 

The  list  suggested  and  adopted  in  Kansas  City  reads 
as  follows: 

Month.  Birth-stone.  Alternate  Stone. 

January     Garnet 

February Amethyst 

March    Bloodstone  Aquamarine 

April    Diamond 

May     Emerald 

June  Pearl  Moonstone 

July   Ruby 


320     THE  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

Month.  Birth-stone.  Alternate-stone. 

August     Sardonyx  Peridot 

September Sapphire 

October    Opal  Tourmaline 

November    Topaz 

December    Turquoise  Lapis-lazuli 

Among  the  many  changes  in  this  list  from  that  habit- 
ually followed,  it  will  be  noted  that  the  ruby  is  trans- 
ferred from  December  to  July,  changing  places  with  the 
turquoise,  which  became  the  gem  of  December.    This  has 
been  favored  on  the  ground  that  the  warmer-colored  gem 
was  best  adapted  for  a  July  birth-stone,  while  the  paler 
turquoise  was  best  suited  to  a  winter  month,  when  the 
sun's  rays  are  feeble.    The  contrary,  however,  is  true; 
for  it  is  in  winter  that  we  seek  for  warmth,  while  in  the 
heat  of  summer  nothing  is  more  grateful  than  coolness. 
This  transposition  is,  in  effect,  simply  a  return  to  the 
ordering  of  these  stones  in  the  Polish  list,  which  may  per- 
haps have  become  popular  in  Europe  in  the  eighteenth 
century  through  Marie  Leczinska,  the  queen  of  Louis  XV. 
Angler  undesiiraJble  change  takes  the  chrysolite  (peri- 
dot) from  tHlTplace  it  has  always  occupied  as  the  gem 
of  September,  and  makes  of  it  an  alternate  for  August, 
with  the  sardonyx,  while  the  sapphire,  properly  the  gem 
for  April,  is  made  the  birth-stone  for  September.    For 
October  neither  the  tourmaline  nor  the  opal  is  as  appro- 
priate as  the  beryl,  while  for  June  we  should  prefer  the 
asteria  to  the  moonstone  as  a  substitute  for  the  pearl. 
—  This  suggested  radical  change  or  violation  cannot  be 
permitted.    The  time-honored  ordering  is  familiar  now 
to  all  who  are  interested  in  the  matter,  and  any  change, 
even  if  one  apparently  for  the  better,  is  liable  to  disturb 
the  popular  confidence  in  those  who  are  supposed  to  be 
familiar  with  the  subject.    Above  all,  there  should  be  no 


BIRTH-STONES  321 

duplication  or  triplication  of  birth-stones  for  any  given 
month,  the  choice  between  a  birth-stone  or  an  astral  or 
zodiacal  stone  or  the  combination  of  these  affording  all 
the  variety  that  is  necessary  or  should  be  desired. 

As  the  diamond  does  not  appear  to  have  been  known 
to  the  ancients  and  is  not  given  in  any  of  the  lists  of 
birth-stones  before  the  last  century,  and  as  diamonds, 
like  gold  and  platinum,  may  easily  be  used  as  accessories 
to  other  stones,  would  it  not  perhaps  be  better  to  omit 
the  diamond  from  the  list  of  the  stones  of  the  months, 
and  rather  use  these  gems  as  a  bordering  or  other  ornate 
addition  to  the  stone  of  the  month?  The  pearl,  which  is 
not  a  stone  in  any  sense  of  the  word,  should  not  appear 
in  the  list  at  all ;  but  it  can  be  worn  in  some  device  sug- 
gesting a  sentiment,  as,  for  instance,  an  emblem  of 
purity,  etc. 

The  tourmaline,  as  a  gem  only  known  in  modern  times 
or  since  the  eighteenth  century,  seems  out  of  place  in  the 
list  of  birth-stones,  which  ought  only  to  comprise  precious 
or  semi-precious  stones  which  have  been  known  and  worn 
from  ancient  times. 

"Astral  stones "  or  "zodiacal  stones "  are  terms  used 
to  designate  those  gems  which  were  believed  to  be  pecu- 
liarly and  mystically  related  to  the  zodiacal  signs. 
"While  these  signs  constitute  a  twelve-fold  division  of  the 
year  just  as  do  the  months,  they  do  not  exactly  coincide 
with  the  latter  as  now  reckoned,  but  overlap  them,  so  that 
the  sign  Aquarius,  for  instance,  covers  the  period  from 
January  21  to  February  20,  that  of  Pisces  from  February 
21  to  March  20,  that  of  Aries,  the  spring  sign,  from 
March  21  to  April  20,  and  so  on  down  to  Capricornus, 
which  begins  at  the  winter  solstice.  Thus,  every  neces- 
sary opportunity  is  afforded  for  enlarging  the  selection 
of  natal  stones  while  preserving  the  traditional  order  of 

21 


322     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

those  appropriate  to  the  months,  an  order  which  in  its 
origin  dates  back  to  the  early  Christian  centuries  and 
which,  from  the  close  relation  with  the  sacred  gems  of  the 
Scriptures,  it  seems  almost  sacrilegious  to  violate  by 
arbitrary  changes. 


CARNELIAN,  ENGRAVED  WITH  THE  ZODIACAL  SIGNS,  TAURUS,  LEO  AND 
CAPRICORN ;  IN  THE  CENTRE  A  SIX-RAYED  STAR,  THE  FORM  OF  ONE 
OF  THESE  RAYS  DENOTING  A  COMET.  (See  p.  341.) 

Referred  to  the  nativity  of  Augustus  and  to  a  comet  which  appeared  shortly  after  the 
assassination  of  Julius  Csesar.  From  De  Mairan's  "Lettres  au  R.P.  Parrenin,"  Paris 
1770,  opp.  p.  274. 

Then,  in  addition,  we  have  the  "talismanic  gems," 
or  the  stones  of  the  twelve  guardian  angels,  one  set  over 
all  those  born  in  each  month.  Here  we  have  another 
time-honored  list,  differing  from  either  of  those  men- 
tioned above,  so  that,  in  almost  if  not  quite  every 
case,  each  person  has  the  choice  between  three  different 
stones  as  "birth-stones,"  or  can  have  them  combined  in 
an  artistic  jewel  so  as  to  profit  by  all  the  favorable  influ- 


BIRTH-STONES  323 

ences  promised  by  the  old  authorities.  Thus,  there  is 
absolutely  no  excuse  for  playing  fast  and  loose  with  an 
ancient,  popular,  and  quasi-religious  belief  in  the  special 
virtue  of  one  particular  stone  for  each  month,  and  that 
one  the  gem  long  prescribed  by  usage. 

As  it  might  seem  appropriate  that  one  born  in  the 
United  States  should  wear  a  gem  from  among  those 
which  our  country  furnishes,  the  following  list  was  some 
time  since  prepared  by  the  writer,  not  in  any  sense  as  a 
substitute  for  the  real  birth-stones,  but  as  possible  acces- 
sory gems  (when  they  were  not  identical),  gems  which 
might  be  worn  from  a  spirit  of  patriotism.  Of  course 
where  the  stone  in  question  is  really  that  traditionally 
recommended,  the  fact  that  it  is  at  the  same  time  an 
American  gem-stone  is  an  added  argument  in  its  favor. 

Month.  Stones.  Where  found. 

January. .  .Garnet,  rhodolite  Montana,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  North 

Carolina 

February. .  Amethyst  North  Carolina,  Georgia,  Yirginia 

March Calif  ornite  California 

April Sapphire  Montana,  Idaho 

May Green  tourmaline  Lake  Superior 

June Moss-agate  California,  Montana,  Wyoming,  Arizona 

July Turquoise  New  Mexico,  California,  Arizona 

August Golden  beryl  California,  Connecticut,  North  Carolina 

September.  Kunzite  California 

October Aquamarine  North  Carolina,  Maine,  California 

November.  .Topaz  Utah,  California,  Maine 

December. .  Eubellite  Montana 

The  year  is  divided  into  four  seasons  or  cycles, — 
spring,  summer,  fall,  and  winter, — and  each  season  has 
its  particular  gem.  The  emerald  is  the  gem  of  the  spring, 
the  ruby  the  gem  of  summer,  the  sapphire  the  gem  of 
autumn,  and  the  diamond  the  gem  of  winter. 


324     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

For  spring,  no  precious  stone  is  more  appropriate 
than  the  emerald.  Its  beautiful  color  is  that  of  Nature, 
for  Nature  clothes  herself  with  green  when  she  awakens 
from  her  long  rest  of  winter.  Having  decked  herself 
with  green  of  the  various  tints  and  colors,  she  has  se- 
lected a  background  by  which  a  contrast  is  made  for  the 
flowers  that  come  in  the  spring  and  summer  and  ripen 
into  fruit  and  seeds  of  autumn.  To  be  a  seasonable  gem 
it  must  be  rare,  and  the  emerald  is  rare.  Whether  found 
in  the  mines  of  Bogota,  whether  mined  in  ancient  times 
at  Zabarah  in  Egypt,  or  in  the  past  century  in  the  Ural 
Mountains,  it  has  never  been  found  in  abundance.  It  is 
softer  in  color  than  the  ruby  and  less  hard  in  structure. 

The  ruby,  although  as  a  natal  stone  it  belongs  to  De- 
cember, is  the  gem  of  summer.  It  is  born  in  the  hot 
climates, — the  pigeon's-blood  ruby  in  Burma,  the  pome- 
granate-red in  Ceylon,  and  the  more  garnet-hued  type  in 
Siam, — these  three  equatorial  countries  produce  the 
ruby.  Those  of  large  size  are  always  rare,  and  this  is 
the  gem  which  Job  valued  more  highly  than  any  other, 
although  " garnet"  may  perhaps  be  a  better  rendering. 
It  is  on  an  equal  plane  in  hardness,  in  composition,  in 
crystalline  structure,  and  in  every  way,  with  the  sap- 
phire. These  are  sister  gems,  structurally  alike,  yet 
varying  in  complexion,  due  to  a  slight  difference  which 
some  scientists  think  is  not  even  dependent  upon  the 
coloring  matter. 

The  sapphire— the  gem  of  autumn,  the  blue  of  the 
autumn  sky— is  a  symbol  of  truth,  sincerity,  and  con- 
stancy. Less  vivid  than  its  sister  gem,  the  ruby,  it  typi- 
fies calm  and  tried  affection,  not  ardent  passion;  it  is 
therefore  appropriate  to  the  autumn  season,  when  the 
declining  sun  no  longer  sends  forth  the  fiery  rays  of 
summer  but  shines  with  a  tempered  brilliancy. 


BIRTH-STONES  325 

The  diamond,  the  gem  of  winter,  typifying  the  sun,  is 
the  gem  of  light  Its  color  is  that  of  ice,  and  as  the  dew- 
drop  or  the  drop  of  water  from  a  mountain  stream 
sparkles  in  the  light  of  the  sun,  as  the  icicle  sparkles  in 
winter,  and  the  stars  on  a  cold  winter  night,  so  the  dia- 
mond sparkles,  and  it  combines  and  contrasts  with  all 
known  gems.  Like  light,  it  illumines  them  just  as  the 
sun  does  the  plants  of  the  earth.  The  diamond,  the  gem 
of  light,  like  light  itself  when  broken  into  a  spectrum, 
gives  us  all  known  colors,  and  by  combining  all  these 
colors  it  gives  us  white.  Like  gold,  the  diamond  was 
made  rare,  so  that  it  must  be  searched  for,  and  the  mines 
and  deposits  contain  less  of  these  two  substances  in  a 
given  area  than  of  any  other  known  materials.  It  is 
thirty  to  a  hundred  times  more  rare  than  gold,  for  if 
gold  occurs  one  part  in  250,000,  it  can  scarcely  be  worked 
with  profit,  while  the  diamond  can  be  worked  to  advan- 
tage when  found  only  one  part  in  10,000,000, — yes,  even 
one  part  in  25,000,000 — and,  like  gold,  it  sometimes 
spurs  the  searcher  on  to  wealth  or  to  ruin.  As  great 
nuggets  of  gold  have  occasionally  been  found,  so  has  a 
diamond  been  discovered  large  enough  to  make  the 
greatest  ruler  pause  to  pay  its  price,  and  one  which  it 
took  an  entire  country  to  give  to  that  ruler  who  sways 
his  sceptre  over  countries  in  which  the  world's  greatest 
diamonds  have  been  found. 

When  the  Grod  of  the  Mines  called  his  courtiers  to 
bring  him  all  known  gems,  he  found  them  to  be  of  all 
colors  and  tints,  and  of  varying  hardnesses,  such  as  the 
ruby,  emerald,  sapphire,  etc.,  etc.  He  took  one  of  each; 
he  crushed  them;  he  compounded  them,  and  said:  "Let 
this  be  something  that  will  combine  the  beauty  of  all; 
yet  it  must  be  pure,  and  it  must  be  invincible. "  He 
spoke :  and  lo !  the  diamond  was  born,  pure  as  the  dew- 


326     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

drop  and  invincible  in  hardness ;  but  when  its  ray  is  re- 
solved in  the  spectrum,  it  displays  all  the  colors  of  the 
gems  from  which  it  was  made.  "Mine,"  said  the  god, 
"must  be  the  gem  of  the  universe;  for  my  queen  I  will 
create  one  that  shall  be  the  greatest  gem  of  the  sea," 
and  for  her  he  created  the  pearl. 

Gems  of  Spring  Gems  of  Summer 

Amethyst  Zircon 

Green  diamond  Garnet  (demantoid  and  ouvarite) 

Chrysoberyl  Chrysoberyl  (alexandrite) 

Spinel  (rubicelle)  Spinel 

Pink  topaz  Pink  topaz 

Olivine  (peridot)  Ruby 

Emerald  Tire  opal 

Gems  of  Autumn  Gems  of  Winter 

Hyacinth  Diamond 

Topaz  Rock-crystal 

Sapphire  White  sapphire 

Jacinth  Turquoise 

Cairngorm  Quartz 

Adamantine  spar  Moonstone 

Tourmaline  Pearl 

Oriental  chrysolite  Labradorite 


SENTIMENTS  OF  THE  MONTHS 

JANUARY 

Natal  stone  Garnet. 

Guardian   angel    Gabriel. 

His  talismanic  gem  Onyx 

Special  apostle   Simon  Peter. 

His  gem Jasper. 

Zodiacal  sign   Aquarius. 

Flower    Snowdrop. 


BIRTH-STONES  327 

No  gems  save  garnets  should  be  worn 
By  her  who  in  this  month  is  born; 
They  will  insure  her  constancy, 
True  friendship  and  fidelity. 

The  gleaming  garnet  holds  within  its  sway 
Faith,  constancy,  and  truth  to  one  alway. 

FEBRUARY 

Natal  stone   Amethyst. 

Guardian   angel    Barchiel. 

His  talismanic  gem Jasper. 

Special  apostle   Andrew. 

His  gem Carbuncle. 

Zodiacal  sign   Pisces. 

Flower    Primrose. 

The  February-born  may  find 
Sincerity  and  peace  of  mind, 
Freedom  fr-om  passion  and  from  care, 
If  she  an  amethyst  will  wear. 

Let  her  an  amethyst  but  cherish  well, 

And  strife  and  care  can  never  with  her  dwell. 

MARCH 

Natal  stone   Jasper,  bloodstone. 

Guardian  Angel  Malchediel. 

His  talismanic  gem  Ruby. 

Special  apostles James   and   John. 

Their  gem Emerald. 

Zodiacal  sign  Aries. 

Flower    Ipomosa,  violet. 

Who   on  this  world  of  ours  her  eyes 
In  March  first  opens  may  be  wise, 
In  days  of  peril  firm  and  brave, 
Wears  she  a  bloodstone  to  her  grave. 

Who  wears  a  jasper,  be  life  short  or  long, 

Will  meet  all  dangers  brave  and  wise  and  strong* 


328     THE  CUEIOUS  LOEE  OF  PBECIOUS  STONES 

APRIL 

Natal  stone   Diamond,  sapphire. 

Guardian   angel    Ashmodei. 

His  talismanic  gem  Topaz. 

Special  apostle   Philip. 

His  gem Carnelian. 

Zodiacal  sign   Taurus. 

flower    Daisy. 

She  who  from  April  dates  her  years 
Diamonds  should  wear,  lest  bitter  tears 
For  vain  repentance  flow.    This  stone 
Emblem  of  innocence  is  known. 

Innocence,  repentance — sun  and  shower — 
The  diamond  or  the  sapphire  is  her  dower. 

MAY 

Natal  stone   Emerald. 

Guardian  angel    Amriel. 

His  talismanic  gem  Carbuncle. 

Special  apostle   Bartholomew. 

His  gem Chrysolite. 

Zodiacal  sign  Gemini. 

Flower    Hawthorn. 

Who  first  beholds  the  light  of  day 
In  spring's  sweet  flow'ry  month  of  May, 
And  wears  an  emerald  all  her  life, 
Shall  be  a  loved  and  happy  wife. 

No  happier  wife  and  mother  in  the  land 
Than  she  with  emerald  shining  on  her  hand. 

JOTE 

Natal  stone   Agate. 

Guardian   angel    Muriel. 

His  talismanic  gem  Emerald. 

Special  apostle   Thomas. 

His  gem Beryl. 

Zodiacal  sign  ^ Cancer. 

Flower . . .  .Honeysuckle. 


1.  MOHH  UKiito  mocha  nionc.  T 

2.  MOHM  u«Jito,  liruKil.  S,  A, 


BIRTH-STONES  329 

"Who  comes  with  summer  to  this  earth, 
And  owes  to  June  her  hour  of  birth, 
With  ring  of  agate  on  her  hand 
Can  health,  long  life,  and  wealth  command. 

Thro'  the  moss-agate's  charm,  the  happy  years 
Ne'er  see  June's  golden  sunshine  turn  to  tears. 

JULY 

Natal  stone   Turquoise. 

Guardian   angel    ., Yerchiel. 

His  talismanic  gem  Sapphire. 

Special  apostle Matthew, 

His  gem Topaz. 

Zodiacal  sign   Leo. 

Flower    Water-lily. 

The  heav'n-blue  turquoise  should  adorn 
All  those  who  in  July  are  born; 
For  those  they'll  be  exempt  and  free 
From  love's  doubts  and  anxiety. 

No  other  gem  than  turquoise  on  her  breast 
Can  to  the  loving,  doubting  heart  bring  rest. 

AUGUST 

Natal  stone   Carnelian. 

Guardian   angel    HamatieL 

His  talismanic  gem  Diamond. 

Special  apostle  James,  the  son  of  Alpheus. 

His  gem Sardonyx. 

Zodiacal  sign .Virgo. 

Flower    Poppy. 

Wear  a  carnelian  or  for  thee 
No  conjugal  felicity; 
The  August-born  without  this  stone, 
'Tis  said,  must  live  unloved,  alone. 

She,  loving  once  and  always,  wears,  if  wise, 
Carnelian — and  her  home  is  paradise. 


330     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

SEPTEMBER 

Natal  stone    Chrysolite. 

Guardian    angel    Tsuriel. 

His  talismanic  gem   Jacinth. 

Special  apostle    Lebbeus  Thaddeus. 

His  gem Chrysoprase. 

Zodiacal  sign Libra. 

Flower    Morning-glory. 

A  maid  born  when  September  leaves 
Are  rustling  in  the  autumn  breeze, 
A  chrysolite  on  brow  should  bind — 
'Twill  cure  diseases  of  the  mind. 

If  chrysolite  upon  her  brow  is  laid. 
Follies  and  dark  delusions  flee  afraid. 

OCTOBER 

Natal  stone Beryl. 

Guardian    anfyel    Bariel. 

His  talismanic  gem   Agate. 

Special  apostle   Simon.     (Zelotes.) 

His  gem Jacinth. 

Zodiacal  sign    Seorpia. 

Flower    Hops. 

October's  child  is  born  for  woe, 
And  life's  vicissitudes  must  know; 
But  lay  a  beryl  on  her  breast, 
And  Hope  will  lull  those  woes  to  rest. 

When  fair  October  to  her  brings  the  beryl, 
No  longer  need  she  fear  misfortune's  peril. 

NOVEMBER 

Natal  stone Topaz. 

Guardian    angel    AdnaehieL 

His  talismanic  gem   Amethyst. 

Special  apostle    Matthias. 

His  gem Amethyst. 

Zodiacal  sign    Sagittarius. 

Flower    Chrysanthemum. 


THE  FIGURES  OF  THE  PLANETS  WITH  THEIR  SIGNIFICANT  STONES. 

Old  print  showing  the  Roman  typos  of  the  days  of  the  week  and  also  the  stones  and  zodiacal 
signs  associated  with  each  day.  Here  we  have  Diann,  with  the  sign  of  Cancer  and  the  moonstone, 
for  Monday;  Mars,  with  the  sign  Capricorn  and  the  jasper,  for  Tuesday;  Mercury,  with  Gemini 
and  the  rock-crystal,  for  Wednesday;  Jupiter,  with  Sagittarius  and  Pisces  and  the  earnelian,  for 
Thursday;  Venus,  with  Taurus  and  the  emerald,  for  Friday;  und  Saturn,  with  Capricorn  and 
Aquarius  and  the  turquoise  for  Saturday, 


BIKTH-STONES  331 

Who  first  comes  to  this  world  below 
With  drear  November's  fog  and  snow 
Should  prize  the  topaz's  amber  hue — 
Emblem  of  friends  and  lovers  true. 

Firm  friendship  is  November's,  and  she  bears 
True  love  beneath  the  topaz  that  she  wears. 

DECEMBER 

Natal  stone Ruby. 

Guardian   angel    Humiel. 

His  talismanic  gem .Beryl. 

Special  apostle    Paul. 

His  gem Sapphire. 

Zodiacal  sign    Capricornus. 

Flower    Holly. 

If  cold  December  give  you  birth — 
The  month  of  snow  and  ice  and  mirth — 
Place  on  your  hand  a  ruby  true; 
Success  will  bless  whate'er  you  do. 

December  gives  her  fortune,  love  and  fame 
If  amulet  of  rubies  bear  her  name, 

A  HINDU  LIST  OF  GEMS  OF  THE  MONTHS  " 

April    Diamond 

May    Emerald 

June   Pearl 

July     Sapphire 

August  Ruby 

September     Zircon 

October    Coral 

November    Cat's-eye 

December     Topaz 

January  Serpent-stone 

February   Chandrakanta 

March    The  gold  Siva-linga 

11  Surindro  Mohun  Tagore,  "  Mani  Mala,"  Pt.  II,  Calcutta,  1881,  pp. 
619,  621. 


332     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


When  the  zodiacal  signs  were  engraved  on  gems  to 
give  them  special  virtues  and  render  them  of  greater 
efficacy  for  those  born  nnder  a  given  sign,  the  Hebrew 
characters  designating  the  sign  (or  at  least  the  initial 
character)  were  often  cut  upon  the  gem.  As  the  letters 
in  which  the  earliest  of  our  sacred  writings  were  written, 
a  peculiar  sanctity  was  often  ascribed  to  these  Hebrew 
characters,  which  were  perhaps  the  more  highly  valued 
that  they  were  unknown  to  the  owners  of  the  gems,  and 
hence  possessed  a  certain  air  of  mystery  for  them.  The 
subjoined  list  of  the  signs  with  the  Hebrew  equivalents 
may  be  of  interest  on  this  account. 

HEBREW  NAMES  OF  THE  SIGNS  OF  THE  ZODIAC 


Libra 

Scorpio 

Sagittarius 

Capricormis 

Aquarius 

Pisces 

Aries 

Taurus 

Gemini 

Cancer 

Leo 

Virgo 


nn« 


Moznayim 

Akrab 

Keshet 

Gedi 

Deli 

Dagim 

Taleh 

Shor 

Te'omim 

Sartan 

Aryeh 

Betulah 


GEMS  OF  WEEK  DAYS 

Sunday  :    Topaz  —  diamond. 

The  bairn  that  is  born 

On  Sonnan's  sweet  day 
Is  blithe  and  is  bonnie, 

Is  happy  and  gay. 
Sunday's  talismanie  gem:    the  pearl. 

Monday  :    Pearl  —  crystal. 

The  bairn  that  is  born 

Of  Monan's  sweet  race 
Is  lovely  in  feature 

And  fair  in  the  face. 
Monday's  talismanie  gem:  the  emerald. 


BIRTH-STONES  333 

Tuesday :    Ruby — emerald. 

If  Tuisco  assists 

And  at  birth  keeps  apace, 
The  bairn  will  be  born 

With  a  soul  full  of  grace. 
Tuesday's  talismanie  gem:  the  topaz. 

Wednesday :  Amethyst — loadstone. 

But  if  Woden  be  there, 
Many  tears  will  he  sow, 
And  the  bairn  will  be  born 

But  for  sadness  and  woe. 
Wednesday's  talismanie  gem:  the  turquoise. 

Thursday :  Sapphire — carnelian. 

Jove's  presence  at  birth 

Means  a  long  swath  to  mow, 
For  if  born  on  Thor's  day 
Thou  hast  far,  far  to  go. 
Thursday's  talismanie  gem:  the  sapphire. 

Friday :  Emerald — eat's-eye. 

If  Yenus  shall  bless  thee, 

Thou  shalt  bless  many  living; 
For  Friga's  bairn  truly 
Is  loving  and  giving. 
Friday's  talismanie  gem:  the  ruby. 

Saturday :  Turquoise — diamond. 
Seater-daeg's  bairn 

In   sweat  shall  be   striving, 
For  Saturn  has  doomed  it 
To  work  for  a  living. 
Saturday's  talismanie  gem:  the  amethyst. 

No  gems  have  afforded  more  interest  to  the  Oriental 
peoples  than  those  that  are  known  as  phenomenal  gems ; 
that  is,  such  as  exhibit  a  phenomenal  quality,  either  as 
a  moving  line  as  in  the  chrysoberyl  cat's-eye,  or  the 
quartz  cat's-eye,  or  as  a  star,  a  class  represented  by  the 


334    THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

star-sapphire  and  the  star-ruby,  all  these  being  consid- 
ered to  bring  good  fortune  to  the  wearer.  A  splendid 
star-sapphire  is  in  the  hilt  of  the  sword  presented  as  an 
Easter  gift  to  King  Constantine  of  Greece,  then  Prince 
Constantine,  by  the  Greeks  of  America,  on  Easter  Day 
1913.12  This  ornate  and  beautiful  sword  was  made  by 
Tiffany  &  Co.  Then  there  is  the  alexandrite  cat's-eye 
which,  in  addition  to  its  chatoyant  effect,  changes  from 
green  to  red,  showing  its  natural  color  by  day  and  glowing 
with  a  ruddy  hue  by  artificial  light.  The  cat's-eye  effect 
here  is  caused  by  a  twinning  of  the  crystal;  that  is,  when 
the  gem  is  cut,  with  a  dome,  across  the  twinning  line,  this 
shows  itself  as  a  smooth  band  of  white  light,  with  a  trans- 
lucent or  transparent  space  at  one  side,  the  line  varying 
in  sharpness  and  in  breadth  as  the  illumination  becomes 
more  intense.  If  the  light  is  very  bright,  the  line  is  no 
wider  than  the  thinnest  possible  silver  or  platinum  wire. 

The  quartz  cat's-eye,  less  distinct  than  the  chryso- 
beryl  cat's-eye,  is  also  found  in  the  East,  and  possesses 
the  property  that  when  cut  straight  across,  an  apparent 
striation  in  the  stone  produces  the  cat's-eye  effect,  but 
the  material  is  not  so  rich  or  brilliant  nor  is  the  gem  as 
beautiful  as  is  the  true  cat's-eye.  The  alexandrite  variety 
of  chrysoberyl  is  colored  by  chromium  and  is  dichroitic, 
appearing  green  when  viewed  in  one  direction  and  red 
in  another ;  in  artificial  light,  however,  the  green  color  is 
lost  and  the  red  alone  becomes  apparent. 

The  moonstone,  with  its  moonlike,  silvery-white  light, 
changes  on  the  surface  as  the  light  varies.  This  is  due 
to  a  chatoyancy  produced  by  a  reflection  caused  by  certain 
cleavage  planes  present  in  feldspar  of  the  variety  to 
which  the  moonstone  belongs. 

a"  The  star-sapphire  lias  already  been  described  on  pp.  106,  107. 


BIRTH-STONES  335 

PHENOMENAL  GEMS  FOE  THE  DAYS  OF  THE  WEEK 

Sunday    Sunstone 

Monday  Moonstone 

Tuesday     Star  sapphire 

Wednesday   Star  ruby 

Thursday     Cat's-eye 

Friday Alexandrite 

Saturday     Labradorite 

Fashion  in  some  parts  of  the  Orient  dictates  the  use 
of  special  colors  for  raiment  and  jewels  to  be  worn  on 
the  different  days  of  the  week.  In  Siam  deep  red  silks 
and  rubies  are  appropriate  for  Sunday  wear ;  white  fab- 
rics and  moonstones  are  prescribed  for  Monday;  light 
red  garments  and  coral  ornaments  are  favored  for  Tues- 
day; striped  stuffs  and  jewels  set  with  the  cat's-eye  are 
considered  the  proper  wear  for  Wednesday;  green  mate- 
rials and  emeralds  are  decreed  for  Thursday ;  silver-blue 
robes  and  ornaments  set  with  diamonds  are  chosen  for 
Friday,  and  on  Saturday  those  who  obey  the  dictates 
of  fashion  are  clad  in  dark  blue  garments  and  wear  sap- 
phires of  a  similar  hue. 

Our  age  is  not  satisfied  with  the  marvellous  progress 
of  science,  which  has  rendered  possible  the  realization 
of  many  of  the  old  magicians'  dreams.  In  spite  of  this 
there  seems  to  be  a  growing  tendency  to  revive  many  of 
the  old  beliefs  which  appeared  to  have  been  definitely 
discarded;  therefore  we  need  not  be  surprised  that  the 
nineteenth  century  offers  us  a  work  on  the  magic  art, 
written  precisely  in  the  spirit  that  animated  an  Agrippa 
or  a  Porta  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries.13 
This  work  gives  elaborate  directions  as  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  "  Magus  "  should  proceed  to  perform  his  magic 
rites. 

18  Eliphas  Levi,  "  Rituel  de  la  haute  magie,"  Paris,  1861. 


336     THE  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Each  day  has  its  special  and  peculiar  ritual    Sunday 
is  the  day  for  the  " Works  of  Light/'  and  on  this  day 
a  purple  robe  should  be  worn  and  a  tiara  and  bracelets 
of  gold;  the  ring  placed  on  the  finger  of  the  operator 
should  be  of  gold  and  set  with  a  chrysolite  or  a  ruby. 
A  white  robe  with  silver  stripes  is  to  be  worn  on  Monday, 
the  day  of  the  "Works  of  Divination  and  Mystery, "  and 
the  high-priest  of  the  mysteries  wears  over  his  robe  a 
triple  necklace  of  pearls,  " crystals,'5  and  selenites;  the 
tiara  should  be  covered  with  yellow  silk,  and  bear  in 
silver  characters  the  Hebrew  monogram  of  Gabriel,  as 
given  by  Cornelius  Agrippa  in  his  " Occult  Philosophy." 
Tuesday  is  assigned  to  the  " Works  of  Wrath,"  and  on 
this  day  the  robe  must  be  red,  the  color  of  fire  and  blood, 
with  a  belt  and  bracelets  of  steel ;  the  tiara  should  have 
a  circlet  of  iron,  and  a  sword  or  a  stylus  is  to  be  used 
in  place  of  a  wand ;  the  ring  is  set  with  an  amethyst.    The 
day  for  the  " Works  of  Science"  is  Wednesday,  when  a 
green  robe  is  worn  and  a  necklace  of  hollow  glass  beads, 
filled  with  quicksilver ;  the  ring  is  adorned  with  an  agate* 
On  Thursday,  appointed  for  the  "Works  of  Religion  or 
Politics,"  a  scarlet  robe  is  worn;  upon  the  forehead  of 
the  operator  is  bound  a  plate  of  tin,  engraved  with  the 
symbol  of  the  planet  Jupiter  and  various  mystic  charac- 
ters; the  ring  bears  either  an  emerald  or  a  sapphire. 
Friday,  the  day  of  Venus,  is  naturally  dedicated  to  the 
"Works  of  Love,"  and  the  celebrant  wears  a  sky-blue 
robe ;  his  ring  shows  a  turquoise,  and  his  tiara  is  set  with 
lapis-lazuli  and  beryl.    The  "Works  of  Mourning"  be- 
long to  Saturday,  when  a  black  or  a  brown  robe  is  worn, 
embroidered  in  orange-colored  silk  with  mystic  char- 
acters; from  the  neck  of  the  operator  hangs  a  leaden 
medal,  bearing  the  symbol  of  the  planet  Saturn,  and  on 
his  finger  is  a  ring  set  with  an  onyx,  upon  which  a 


BIRTH-STONES 


337 


double-faced  Janus  has  been  engraved  while  Saturn  was 
in  the  ascendant. 


7  Chrysolite 

8  Amethyst 

9  Kunzite 

10  Sapphire 

11  Garnet 

12  Diamond 


GEMS   OF   THE   HOURS 
HOURS  OF  THE  DAY 

1  Jacinth 

2  Emerald 

3  Beryl 


4  Topaz 

5  Ruby 

6  Opal 


HOURS  OF  THE  NIGHT 

7  Sardonyx  1  Morion 

8  Chalcedony  2  Hematite 

9  Jade  3  Malachite 

10  Jasper  4  Lapis-lazuli 

11  Loadstone  5  Turquoise 

12  Onyx  6  Tourmaline 


WEDDING 

1  Paper 

2  Calico 

3  Linen 

4  Silk 

5  Wood 

6  Candy 

7  Floral 

8  Leather 

9  Straw 
10  Tin 

12  Agate 

13  Moonstone* 

14  Moss  agate 

15  Rock-crystal,  glass 

16  Topaz 

17  Amethyst 

18  Garnet 


ANNIVERSARIES 

19  Hyacinth 

20  China 
23  Sapphire 

25  Silver 

26  Star  sapphire,  bins  * 
30  Pearl 

35  Coral 

39  Cafs-eye* 

40  Ruby 

45  Alexandrite 

50  Gold 

52  Star  ruby* 

55  Emerald 

60  Diamond,  yellow 

65  Star  sapphire,  gray* 

67  Star  sapphire,  purple 

75  Diamond 


*  For  this  number,  and  for  the  succeeding  multiples  of  thirteen,  the 
gem  is  believed  to  counteract  the  malign  influence  of  the  number. 
22 


X 

attti  &£tral  Snfluejtceg  of 


CHE  talismanic  influence  of  the  stones  associated  with 
the  planets  and  also  with  the  signs  of  the  zodiac  is 
closely  connected  with  the  early  ideas  regarding  the 
formation  of  precious  stones.    In  an  old  work  on  the 
occult  properties  of  gems  we  read  : 

The  nature  of  the  magnet  is  in  the  iron,  and  the  nature  of  the 
iron  is  in  the  magnet,  and  the  nature  of  both  polar  stars  is  in  both 
iron  and  magnet,  and  hence  the  nature  of  the  iron  and  the  magnet 
is  also  in  both  polar  stars,  and  since  they  are  Martian,  that  is  to  say, 
their  region  belongs  to  Mars,  so  do  both  iron  and  magnet  belong  to 
Mars. 

The  author  then,  proceeds  to  describe  an  analogous 
relation  between  a  man  and  any  natural  object  or  product 
to  which  his  imagination  draws  him,  and  shows  that,  if 
this  object  be  one  that  stands  in  a  sympathetic  relation 
with  the  star  beneath  which  the  man  was  born,  the  man, 
the  star,  and  the  object  will  constitute  a  triplicity  of 
great  utility.  As  an  explanation  of  the  peculiarly  inti- 
mate relation  between  stars  and  precious  stones  we  read, 
on  page  12  : 

Metals  and  precious  stones  usually  lie  with  their  first  seeds  deep 
down  in  the  earth  and  require  continuous  moisture  and  a  mild  heat. 
This  they  obtain  through  a  reflection  of  the  sun  and  the  other 
stars  in  the  manifold  movement  of  the  heavens.  .  .  .  Therefore, 
also,  the  metals  and  precious  stones  are  nearest  related  to  the  planets 
338 


PLANETAET  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        339 

and  the  stars,  since  these  influence  them  most  potently  and  pro'duce 
their  peculiar  qualities,  for  they  are  enduring  and  unchangeable  and 
show  therein  their  concordance  [with  the  stars  and  the  planets].1 

Hence  it  is  that  the  influence  over  Iranian  fortunes 
ascribed  by  astrology  to  the  heavenly  bodies  is  conceived 
to  be  strengthened  by  wearing  the  gem  appropriate  to 
certain  planets  or  signs,  for  a  subtle  emanation  has 
passed  into  the  stone  and  radiates  from  it.  A  combina- 
tion of  several  different  stones,  each  partaking  of  this 
special  quality,  was  believed  to  have  an  influence  similar 
to  that  exercised  by  several  planets  in  conjunction, — 
that  is,  grouped  in  the  same  "house"  or  division  of  the 
heavens. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  stones  dedicated  to  the  guar- 
dian angels;  the  color  and  appearance  of  the  stone  was 
not  merely  emblematic  of  the  angel,  but,  by  its  sympa- 
thetic quality,  it  was  supposed  to  attract  his  influence 
and  to  provide  a  medium  for  the  transmission  of  his 
beneficent  force  to  the  wearer.  The  whole  theory, 
whether  consciously  or  unconsciously,  rested  on  the  idea 
of  harmony,  of  the  accord  of  certain  ethereal  vibrations, 
either  those  of  the  visible  light  of  the  stars  and  planets 
or  the  purely  psychic  emanations  from  the  spiritual 
"powers  and  principalities." 

The  wearing  of  the  appropriate  zodiacal  gem  was 
always  believed  to  strengthen  the  influence  of  the  zodiacal 
sign  upon  those  born  under  it,  and  to  afford  a  sympa- 
thetic medium  for  the  transmission  of  the  stellar  influ- 
ences. The  gem  was  thus  something  more  than  a  mere 
symbol  of  the  sign.  The  same  was  true  of  the  stone  of 
the  saint  who  ruled  the  month  and  that  of  the  holy  guar- 

1  Wilhelmus  Eo,  "  Coronas  Gemma  Nobilissima,"  Newheusern,  1621, 
pp.  38-9. 


340          CUEIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

dian  angel  set  over  those  born  in  the  month.  In  each  and 
every  case  the  material  form  and  color  of  the  stone  was 
believed  to  attract  the  favor  and  grace  of  the  saint  or 
angel,  who  would  see  in  the  selection  of  the  appropriate 
gem  an  act  of  respect  and  veneration  on  the  part  of  the 
wearer. 

The  old  writers  are  never  tired  of  insisting  upon  the 
idea  that,  while  the  image  graven  upon  a  stone  was  in 
itself  dead  and  inactive,  the  influence  of  the  stars  during 
whose  ascendancy  the  work  had  been  executed  commu- 
nicated to  the  inert  material  talismanic  qualities  and 
virtues  which  it  before  lacked.  In  these  instances  the 
images  could  be  regarded  as  outward  and  visible  signs 
of  the  planetary  or  zodiacal  influence.  Even  in  the  case 
of  the  bezoar  stone,  a  generally  recognized  antidote  for 
all  sorts  of  poisons,  it  was  held  that  the  scorpion's  bite 
could  be  most  effectually  healed  by  a  bezoar  upon  which 
this  creature's  figure  had  been  cut  during  the  time  when 
the  constellation  Scorpio  was  in  the  ascendancy.2 

In  the  production  of  engraved  stones  to  serve  as  amu- 
lets, the  influence  of  the  respective  planet  was  made  to 
enter  the  stone  by  casting  upon  the  latter,  during  the 
process  of  engraving,  reflections  from  a  mirror  which 
had  been  exposed  to  the  planet's  rays.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  work  was  executed  while  the  planet  was  in  the 
ascendant,  and  the  design  was  emblematic  of  it.  With 
these  combined  influences  the  gem  was  believed  to  be 
thoroughly  impregnated  with  the  planetary  virtue.3 

An  old  writer  finds  in  the  hardness  of  precious  stones 
a  reason  for  their  retaining  longer  the  celestial  virtues 
they  receive.  After  they  have  been  extracted  these  vir- 

*  Gaff arelli,  "  Curiositates  inauditse,"  Hamburg!,  1706,  pp.  146, 147, 

*  ScMndler,  «  Der  Aberglanbe  des  Mittelalters,"  Breslatu  1853,  p. 
13L 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        341 

tues  persist  in  them  and  they  keep  "the  traces  and  gifts 
of  mundane  life  which  they  possessed  while  clinging  to 
the  earth.4  These  "gifts  of  mundane  life7'  signify  the 
stored-up  energy  derived  from  the  stars  and  planets, 
which  penetrates  the  matter  of  the  stone,  and  each  stone 
is  peculiarly  sensitive  to  the  emanations  from  a  certain 
planet,  star,  or  group  of  stars. 

A  fine  carnelian  gem  engraved  with  a  design  consist- 
ing of  a  star  surrounded  by  the  images  of  a  ram,  a  bull, 
and  a  lion,  is  described  by  M.  Mairan.5  He  sees  in  the 
star  the  emblem  of  the  splendid  comet  which  appeared 
shortly  after  the  assassination  of  Caesar,  and  which,  ac- 
cording to  Suetonius,  was  believed  to  be  the  soul  of 
Caesar  newly  received  into  the  sky;  the  ram,  bull,  and 
lion  are  the  symbols  of  the  zodiacal  signs  Aries,  Taurus, 
and  Leo,  the  first-named  sign  referring  perhaps  to  the 
death  of  Caesar  on  the  Ides,  or  fifteenth  of  March;  while 
the  other  two  signs  may  allude  to  the  position  of  the 
comet  at  different  dates. 

In  the  Cabinet  dti  Eoi,  in  Paris,  there  was  an  en- 
graved carnelian,  the  design  showing  Jupiter  enthroned, 
with  thunderbolt  and  sceptre,  and  Mars  and  Mercury 
standing  on  either  side  of  the  central  figure.  Separated 
from  the  gods  of  the  tipper  air  by  a  bow,  probably  repre- 
senting the  arch  of  the  sky,  appears  the  bust  of  Neptune, 
emerging  from  the  sea.  The  border  of  the  'design  is 
formed  by  the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac,  Virgo  being  of 
an  unusual  type,' — the  virgin  and  a  unicorn, — said  to 
have  been  used  only  during  the  reign  of  Domitian  (81-96 

A.D.)-6 

4  Eeichelti,  "  De  amuletis,"  Argentorati,  1676,  p.  45 ;  citing  Fiend, 
"  De  vita  eoelit.,"  cap.  13. 

6  Mairan,  "  Lettres  an  E.  P.  Parrenin,"  Paris,  1770,  pp.  275  sqq. 
9  Mairan,  I.e.,  pp.  199,  211. 


342          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Some  choice  examples  of  astrological  gems  may  be 
seen  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  New  York; 
among  these  is  a  green  jasper  bearing  symbols  of  Luna, 
Capricorn,  and  Taurus.  This  gem  is  from  the  collection 
of  the  late  Bev.  0.  W.  King,  which  has  been  acquired  for 
the  Museum,  and  is  described  as  figuring  the  horoscope 
of  the  owner.  In  the  same  collection  is  a  banded  agate 
engraved  with  Sagittarius  as  a  centaur,  surrounded  by 
the  stars  of  this  constellation  in  their  proper  order. 
King  states  that  this  was  the  earliest  horoscopical  gem 
known  to  him.  Still  another  gem  of  this  collection  is  a 
sard  bearing  the  symbol  of  Aries  carrying  a  long  cadu- 
ceus ;  this  type  appears  on  the  coins  of  Antioch,  because 
that  city  was  founded  in  the  month  over  which  the  sign 
Aries  presides.7 

The  Austrian  Imperial  Collection  in  Vienna  contains 
the  celebrated  G-emma  Augustea,  sometimes  called  the 
Apotheosis  of  Augustus.  This  commemorates  the  Pan- 
nonian  triumph  of  Tiberius,  13  A.D.,  and  above  the  figure 
of  Augustus  appears  the  sign  of  Capricornus,  the  con- 
stellation of  his  nativity;  beneath  the  figure  of  Tiberius 
is  engraved  the  sign  of  Scorpio,  under  which  that  em- 
peror was  born.  This  celebrated  cameo,  the  work  of  the 
famous  gem-engraver  Dioskorides,  is  mentioned  in  an 
inventory  of  the  treasury  of  -St.  Sernin,  in  Toulouse, 
dated  1246.  It  is  said  to  have  been  offered  by  Francis  I 
of  France  to  Pope  Clement  VII,  on  the  occasion  of  their 
meeting  in  Marseilles  in  1535;  however,  as  the  gem 
only  reached  Marseilles  two  days  after  the  pope's  de- 
parture, Francis  decided  to  retain  possession  of  it.  The 

T "  Collection  of  Engraved  Gems,"  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art, 
Handbook  No.  9,  pp.  53,  54. 


THE  ZODIACAL  STONES  WITH  THEIR  SIGNS. 

Old  print  illustrating  the  influence  believed  to  be  exerted  on  the  different  parts  of  the  body  by 
tho  respective  zodiacal  signs,  and  through  their  power  by  the  stones  associated  with  them.  This 
belief  often  determined  the  administration  of  special  precious-stone  remedies  by  physicians  of  the 
weventeenth  and  earlier  centuries. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        343 

royal  treasure  at  Fontainebleau  was  plundered  in  1590, 
and  the  stone  was  offered  for  sale,  and  was  purchased, 
in  1619,  by  Emperor  Eudolph  II,  for  the  sum  of  12,000 
ducats. 

A  ruby  called  sandastros  is  described  by  Pliny  as 
containing  stellated  bodies  which  he  compares  to  the 
Hyades;  hence,  says  he,  they  are  the  objects  of  great  de- 
votion with  the  Chaldasi  or  Assyrian  Magi.  Accord- 
ing to  Morales  (De  las  piedras  preciosas),  the  ruby 
and  the  diamond  were  both  under  the  influence  of  the 
sign  of  Taurus;  the  same  writer  informs  us  that  the 
Hyades  and  the  sun  were  supposed  to  have  a  potent 
effect  upon  the  ruby  or  carbuncle.  In  ancient  Babylonia 
the  sign  of  Taurus  was  regarded  as  the  most  important, 
and  Winckler  believes  that  the  presence  in  this  sign  of 
the  five  stars  of  the  Hyades  and  the  seven  of  the  Pleiades 
was  brought  into  connection  with  the  twelve-fold  division 
of  the  zodiac.  The  Hyades  signified  the  five  signs  visible 
in  Babylonia  at  the  summer  solstice,  while  the  Pleiades 
typified  the  seven  invisible  signs.  It  seems  probable 
that  the  Pleiades  were  associated  with  the  diamond, 
although  Morales,  who  was  very  familiar  with  the 
Moorish  astrology  current  among  the  Spaniards  of  his 
time,  attributed  the  crystal  to  this  group.  His  attribu- 
tion proves  at  least  that  the  stone  of  the  Pleiades  was  a 
colorless  one. 

In  Sanskrit  the  diamond  is  called  vajra,  "thunder- 
bolt," and  also  indrdjudha,  "Indra's  weapon";  another 
name  is  agira,  "fire,"  or  "the  Sun."8  All  these  desig- 
nations are  probably  suggested  by  the  brilliant  flashes  of 

8  Garbe,    "  Die    indisclie    Mineralien,"    Naharari/s    Eaj 
Yarga  XIII,  Leipzig,  1882,  p.  PO. 


344          CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

light  emitted  by  tMs  stone.  It  is  not  easy  to  determine 
the  reason  that  induced  the  Hindus  to  dedicate  the  dia- 
mond to  the  planet  Venus  rather  than  to  the  Sun  or  to  the 
Moon.  However,  as  the  most  brilliant  of  the  planets, 
Venus  was  not  unworthy  of  the  honor,  and  if  we  sub- 
stitute the  Goddess  of  Love  for  her  planet,  it  seems  quite 
appropriate  that  she  should  be  adorned  with  the  most 
brilliant  of  precious  stones.  Certainly  these  sparkling 
gems  are  often  enough  offered  at  the  shrine  of  Venus  in 
our  own  day,  and  they  often  serve  to  win  the  good  graces 
of  the  divinity  to  whom  they  are  presented. 

The  Sanskrit  name  for  the  sapphire,  nila,  signifies 
"blue,"  so  that,  as  the  topaz  is  the  "yellow  stone77  par 
excellence,  the  sapphire  is  the  blue  stone  (nilagman).  In 
both  cases  the  name  indicates  a  variety  of  corundum,  dis- 
tinguished merely  by  the  coloring  matter.  As  a  talisman 
the  Hindus  believed  that  the  sapphire  rendered  the 
planet  Saturn  favorable  to  the  wearer,  an  important  con- 
sideration from  the  astrological  point  of  view,  for 
Saturn's  influence  was  generally  supposed  to  be  unfav- 
orable. The  Hindus  distinguished  four  classes  of 
sapphires,  corresponding  to  the  four  castes :  Brahmins, 
Kshatriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  Sudras.  The  respective  sap- 
phires were  light  blue,  reddish  blue,  yellowish  blue,  and 
dark  blue.  The  same  distinction  is  made  in  the  case  of 
the  diamond,  and  a  like  rule  applies  to  both  stones, 
namely,  that  only  the  appropriate  stone  should  be  worn 
by  the  members  of  each  caste,  in  order  to  profit  by  the 
virtues  inherent  in  the  sapphire  or  diamond.9 

One  of  the  Sanskrit  appellations  of  the  hyacinth 
(zircon)  is  rdhuratna, — that  is,  the  jewel  dedicated  to 
the  mysterious  "dragon,"  that  was  supposed  to  be  the 

9  Garbe,  "  Die  indische  Mineralien/'  Naliarari's  Rajanighantu, 
Yarga  XIII,  Leipzig,  1882,  p.  83. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        345 

cause  of  the  periodic  eclipses  of  the  Sun  and  Moon.10 
As  the  stone  was  sacred  to  this  malevolent  influence,  we 
need  not  be  surprised  that  it  was  believed  to  avert  mis- 
fortune, for  nothing  was  so  effective  against  the  lesser 
spirits  of  evil  as  an  evil  genius  of  great  power. 

According  to  the  Hindu  mystics  it  was  very  lucky 
to  have  a  turquoise  at  hand  at  the  time  of  the  new  moon, 
for  whoever,  after  first  looking  at  the  moon  on  the 
pratipada  (the  first  day  after  new-moon),  should  cast 
his  eyes  upon  a  turquoise,  was  destined  to  enjoy  immeas- 
urable wealth.11 

ZODIACAL  GEMS 
Aquarius. 

January  21  to  February  21. 
The  Garnet. 

If  you  would  cherish  friendship  true, 
In  Aquarius  well  you'll  do 
To  wear  this  gem  of  warmest  hue — 
The  garnet. 
Pisces. 

February  ^1  to  March  21. 
The  Amethyst. 

From  passion  and  from  care  kept  free 
Shall  Pisces7   children  ever  be 
Who  wear  so  all  the  world  may  see 
The  amethyst. 

Aries. 

March  21  to  April  20. 
The  Bloodstone. 

Who  on  this  world  of  ours  his  eyes 
In  Aries  opens  shall  be  wise 
If  always  on  his  hand  there  lies 

A  bloodstone. 

10  Garbe,    "  Die    indische    Mineralien,"    Naharari's    Rajanighantu, 
Varga  XIII,  Leipzig,  1882,  p.  84. 

11  Surindro  Molmn  Tagore,  "  Hani  Mala,"  Pt.  II,  Calcutta,  1881, 
p.  883. 


346  CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Taurus. 

April  20  to  May  21. 

Tlie  Sapphire. 

If  on  your  band  this  stone  you  bind, 
You  in  Taurus  born  will  find 
'Twill  cure  diseases  of  the  mind, 

The 


Gemini. 

May  21  to  June  21. 
The  Agate. 

Gemini's   children   health   and  wealth   command, 
And  all  the  ills  of  age  withstand, 
Who  wear  their  rings   on  either  hand 

Of  agate. 
Cancer. 

June  21  to  July  22. 
The  Emerald. 

If  born  in  Cancer's  sign,  they  say, 
Tour  life  will  joyful  be  alway, 
If  you  take  with  you  on  your  way 
Leot  An  emerald. 

July  22  to  August  22. 
The  Onyx. 

When  youth  to  manhood  shall  have  grown, 

Under  Leo  lorn  and  lone 

'Twill  have  lived  but  for  this  stone, 

The  onyx. 
Yirgo. 

August  22  to  September  22. 
Carnelian. 

Success  will  bless  whate'er  you  do, 
Through  Virgo's  sign,  if  only  you 
Place  on  your  hand  her  own  gem  true, 
Libra.  Carnelian. 

September  22  to  October  23. 
The   Chrysolite. 

Through  Libra's  sign  it  is  quite  well 
To  free  yourself  from  evil  spell, 
For  in  her  gem  surcease  doth  dwell, 
The  chrysolite. 


1.  A  necklace  of  banded  and  variegated  agates,  onyx,  carnelians  and  sards.    First  Century  A.D. 

2.  lioads  of  curnehau  artificially  marked  ior  "good  luck."    The  marking  is  produced  by  uc 

application  of  potash  and  soda.   Ancient  Persian, 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        347 

Scorpio. 

October  23  to  November  21. 
The  Beryl. 

Through  Scorpio  this  gem  so  fair 
Is  that  which  every  one  should  wear, 
Or  tears  of  sad  repentance  bear, — 

The  beryl. 
Sagittarius. 

November  21  to  December  21. 
The  Topaz. 

Who  first  comes  to  this  world  below 

Under  Sagittarius  should  know 

That  their  true  gem  should  ever  show 

A  topaz. 
Capricorn. 

December  21  to  January  21. 
The  Ruby. 

Those  who  live  in  Capricorn 
No  trouble  shall  their  brows  adorn 
If  they  this  glowing  gem  have  worn, 
The  ruby. 

An  old  Spanish  list  of  the  gems  of  the  zodiacal  signs 
differs  from  those  given  above,  and  probably  represents 
Arab  tradition:12 

Aries — Crystal  Libra — Jasper 

Taurus — Ruby  and  diamond  Scorpio — Garnet 

Gemini — Sapphire  Sagittarius — Emerald 

Cancer — Agate  and  beryl  Capricorn — Chalcedony 

Leo — Topaz  Aquarius — Amethyst 

Virgo — Magnet  Pisces — 

Of  planetary  stones  13  there  is  assigned  to  the  sun 
the  jacinth  and  the  chrysolite,  when  this  latter  name 

12  Morales,  "  De  las  virtudes  y  propiedades  marvillosas  de  las 
piedras  preeiosas,"  Valladolid,  1604,  fols.  15a,  15b. 

"Rantzau,  "Traetatus  de  genethliacorum  thematum  judieiis," 
Francofurti,  1633,  pp.  46-55. 


348          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PEECIOUS  STONES 

was  applied  to  the  yellow  Brazilian  chrysoberyl,  while 
the  moon  controls  the  beryl,  the  rock-crystal  and  also  the 
pearl.  To  the  share  of  Venus  fall  the  sapphire  and  car- 
buncle as  well  as  coral  and  pearl;  usually  the  emerald 
is  the  stone  of  Venus.  Mars  lays  claim  to  the  diamond, 
jacinth,  and  ruby,  the  last-named  stone  according  with 
the  ruddy  hue  of  our  neighbor  planet.  Under  the  con- 
trol of  Jupiter  are  placed  the  emerald,  sapphire,  ame- 
thyst, and  turquoise,  so  that  this  planet  has  the  richest 
assortment  of  gems ;  it  will  be  remarked  that  the  celes- 
tial sapphire  unites  the  influence  of  Venus  and  Jupiter, 
the  two  especially  propitious  planets.  Lastly,  far-away 
Saturn  must  be  content  with  all  dark,  black,  and  brittle 
stones;  there  was,  indeed,  little  inducement  to  wear  a 
Saturnian  stone,  for  the  influence  of  this  cold  and  dis- 
tant planet  was  always  regarded  as  baleful. 

The  planetary  controls  of  precious  stones  as  given  in 
the  Lapidario  of  Alfonso  5,  according  to  "Chaldaic" 
tradition,  show  that  the  same  stone  was  influenced  in 
many  or  most  cases  by  more  than  one  of  the  "  seven 
planets"  (including  the  Sun.  and  Moon).  Thus  the  dia- 
mond, belonging  to  the  first  degree  of  the  sign  Taurus, 
was  dominated  by  both  Saturn  and  the  Sun ;  the  emerald 
was  controlled  by  Jupiter,  and  also  by  Mercury  and  by 
Venus.  The  red  jargoon  was  influenced  by  Mars,  the 
yellow  variety  by  Jupiter  and  the  white  jargoon  by 
Venus.  The  carnelian  received  virtue  from  the  Sun  and 
from  Venus.  The  ruby,  although  more  especially  a  sun- 
stone,  came  as  well  under  the  influence  of  the  Planet  of 
Love.  Coral  belonged  both  to  Venus  and  to  the  moon, 
while  lapis-lazuli  and  chalcedony  only  owed  allegiance 
to  Venus ;  this  planet  also  lent  virtue  to  the  beryl.14 

14  Lapidario  del  Rey  D.  Alfonso  X;  codice  original,  Madrid, 
1881,  fols.  101-109. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        349 

Among  the  Mohammedans,  six  of  the  seven  heavens 
were  supposed  to  be  made  of  precious  substances: 
the  first  was  of  emerald ;  the  second,  of  white  silver ;  the 
third,  of  large  white  pearls;  the  fourth,  of  ruby;  the 
fifth,  of  red  gold;  and  the  sixth,  of  jacinth.  The  seventh 
and  highest  heaven,  however,  was  of  shining  light.15 
Here  we  have  the  three  precious  colored  stones,  emerald, 
ruby,  and  sapphire  (jacinth),  to  which  is  added  the  pearl. 

The  scarcity  of  the  diamond  in  early  times,  and  its 
comparative  lack  of  brilliancy  before  the  invention  of 
rose  and  brilliant  cutting,  account  for  the  absence  of  this 
king  of  gems. 

Kabelais,16  describing  the  temple  of  the  oracle  of  the 
"Dive  Bouteille,"  says  that  of  its  seven  columns  the 
first  was  of  sapphire;  the  second,  of  jacinth;  the  third, 
of  "dyamant";  the  fourth,  of  the  "male"  balas-ruby; 
the  fifth,  of  emerald,  "more  brilliant  and  glistening  than 
were  those  which  were  set  in  place  of  eyes  in  the  marble 
lion  stretched  before  the  tomb  of  King  Hermias";  the 
sixth  column  was  of  agate,  and  the  seventh  of  trans- 
parent selenite,  "  with  a  splendor  like  that  of  Hymettian 
honey,  and  within  appeared  the  moon  in  form  and  motion 
such  as  she  is  in  the  heavens,  full  and  new,  waxing  and 
waning."  We  are  then  told  that  these  stones  were  at- 
tributed to  the  seven  planets  by  the  Chaldaeans,  as 
follows : 

Sapphire   Saturn 

Jacinth    Jupiter 

Diamond  Sun 

Ruby    Mars 

"Lane,  "Arabian  Society  in  the  Middle  Ages,"  ed.  by  Stanley 
Lane-Poole,  London,  1883,  p.  98. 

ia  Pantagruel,  liv.  v,  chap,  xlii,  Paris,  1833,  p.  341. 


350          CUBIOUS  LORE  OP  PEECIOUS  STONES 

Emerald    Venus 

Agate     Mercury 

Selenite   * Moon 

Some  of  these  attributions  differ  from  those  usually 
made  and  may  represent  another  tradition. 

PLANETARY  INFLUENCES  OF  STONES  1T 

Jasper    , Venus  and  Mercury. 

Sapphire    Jupiter  and  Mercury. 

Emerald  Venus  and  Mercury. 

Chalcedony Jupiter,   Mercury,    and   Saturn. 

Sardonyx     Saturn  and  Mars. 

Chrysolite    Mercury  and  Venus. 

Beryl    Venus  and  Mars. 

To^paz  Saturn  and  Mars. 

Chrysoprase    Mercury  and  Venus. 

Jacinth Mars  and  Jupiter. 

Amethyst   Mars  and  Jupiter. 

Pearl    Venus  and  Mercury. 

Carbuncle    Mars  and  Venus. 

Diamond    Jupiter. 

Agate    Venus  and  Mars. 

Aleetoria Sun. 

Turquoise    Venus  and  Mercury, 

Chelidon     Jupiter. 

Aetites    Sun. 

Dlonesia     Saturn. 

Hematite    Mercury. 

Lapis-lazuli    Venus. 

Annena    Mercury  and  Venus. 

Garnet    Sun. 

Amber    Sun. 

Jet    Saturn. 

Lyncurius    Suu. 

Crystal  Moon  and  Mars. 

Bezoar Jupiter. 

Armenia Jupiter. 

— — * -  •-—      —      - - • — • — — — « — — —      —'  - .in,  ^ 

"Morales,  "Do  las  Piedras  Preciosas,"  Valladolid,  1604. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        351 

Selenite    Moon. 

Magnet     Mars. 

Judaica,        ^ 

Hegolite  or    \. Mercury. 

Cogolite         J 

Iris    Jupiter. 

Halcyon    Saturn  and  Mars. 

Asbestus     Saturn. 

Sarcophagus    Moon. 

Arabian,  white   Moon. 

Arabian,  green  Jupiter 

Hyena    Sun. 

Androdamas    Moon. 

Pyrites: 

Copper-colored    Sun,  Venus. 

Gold-colored Sun. 

Silver-colored    Moon. 

Tin-colored    Moon,  Saturn. 

Ash-colored    Jupiter. 

Calatia    Moon. 

Stalactite   Venus. 

Thenarcus    Sun. 

Cornelian   Jupiter,  Mars,  Venus. 

Opal     Sun,  Mercury. 

Fixed  stars  associated  with  precious  stones : 1S 

Diamond.     Caput  Algol  18°  of  Taurus. 

Crystal.     The  Pleiades  24°  of  Taurus. 

Ruby,  carbuncle.    Aldebaran  3°  of  Gemini;  also  the  Hyades. 

Sapphire.    The  Goat  15°  of  Gemini. 

Beryl.    Sirius  10°  of  Cancer. 

Garnet.    Heart  of  Lion  23°  of  Leo. 

Magnet.     Tail  of  the  Great  Bear  8°  of  Scorpio;  also  the  Pole  Star, 

Topaz.     Eight  and  left  wing  of  Raven  8°  of  Libra. 

Emerald  and  Jasper.     Spica  Virginis  17a  of  Libra. 

Amethyst.    Scorpion  3°  of  Sagittarius. 

Chrysolite.     Tortoise  8°  of  Capricorn. 

18  Morales,  «  De  las  piedras  preciosas,"  Valladolid,  1604,  pp.  16a- 
16b. 


352          GUKIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Chalcedony.     Tail  of  Capricorn  15°  of  Aquarius. 
Jacinth.     Shoulder  of  Equis  Major  18°  of  Pisces. 
Pearl.    Umbilicus  Andromedse  20°  of  Aries. 
Sardonyx.    Same  as  Topaz. 

Images  and  virtues  of  the  constellations  as  engraved 
on  gems :  I0 

URSA  MAJOR;  URSA  MINOR,  AND  DRACO.  Both  bears  are 
represented  in  the  folds  of  a  serpent,  the  Great 
Bear  in  the  upper  and  the  Lesser  Bear  in  the  lower 
folds.  In  almost  all  the  signs.  Nature :  Ursa 
Major,  Mars  and  Venus.  Ursa  Minor;  Saturn. 
Draco:  Saturn  and  Mars.  Renders  the  wearer  wise, 
cautious  j  versatile,  and  powerful. 

The  boundary  lines  of  the  various  signs  are  earned  up 
to  the  pole,  and  any  constellation  that  is  within  these 
lines  is  considered  to  belong  to  the  respective  sign; 
thus,  every  constellation  belongs  to  one  or  more 
signs. 

CORONA  BOREALIS.  A  royal  crown,  with  many  stars; 
sometimes  the  crowned  head  of  a  king.  Sign :  Sagit- 
tarius. Nature:  Venus  and  Mercury.  Engraved 
on  the  stone  of  one  who  is  fitted  for  honors  and 
knowledge,  it  gives  him  great  favor  with  kings. 

HERCULES.  A  man  with  knees  bent,  holding  a  club  in  his 
hand  and  killing  a  lion;  sometimes  a  man  with  a 
lion's  skin  in  his  hand  or  on  his  shoulder  and  hold- 
ing a  club.  Sign:  Scorpio.  Nature:  Venus  and 
Mercury.  Engraved  on  a  stone  that  brings  victory, 
like  the  agate,  it  renders  the  wearer  victorious  in  all 
conflicts  in  the  field. 

CYGNUS.  A  swan  with  outstretched  wings  and  curved 
neck.  In  the  North.  Nature:  Venus  and  Mercury. 
Renders  the  wearer  popular,  increases  knowledge, 
and  augments  wealth.  Cures  gout,  paralysis,  and 
fever. 

18  Camilli  Leonardi,  "  Speculum  Lapidurn,"  Venetia,  1502,  f .  Kv-lvi 


PLANE TARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES    353 

CEPHEUS.  A  man  girt  with,  a  sword  and  holding  his 
hands  and  arms  extended.  Sign:  Aries.  Nature: 
Saturn  and  Jupiter.  Causes  pleasant  visions  if 
placed  beneath  the  head  of  a  sleeping  person. 

CASSIOPEIA.  A  woman  seated  in  a  chair  and  with  hands 
extended  in  the  form  of  a  cross ;  sometimes  with  a  tri- 
angle on  her  head.  Sign :  Taurus.  Nature :  Saturn 
and  Venus.  Restores  the  sickly,  worn  body  to  health, 
gives  quiet  and  calm  after  labor  and  procures  pleas- 
ant and  tranquil  sleep. 

ANDROMEDA.  A  young  girl  with,  dishevelled  hair,  and 
hands  hanging  down.  Sign:  Taurus.  Nature: 
Venus.  Reconciles  husband  and  wife,  strengthens 
love,  and  protects  the  human  body  from  many  dis- 
eases. 

PERSEUS.  A  man  holding  a  sword  in  his  right  hand  and 
the  Gorgon's  head  in  his  left.  Sign:  Taurus.  Nature: 
Saturn  and  Venus.  Guards  the  wearer  from  mis- 
fortune and  protects,  not  only  the  wearer  but  the 
place  where  it  may  be,  from  lightning  and  tempest. 
Dissolves  enchantments. 

SERPENS.  A  man  in  the  folds  of  a  serpent  and  hold- 
ing its  head  in  his  right  hand  and  its  tail  in  his 
left.  Sign:  Taurus.  Nature:  Saturn  and  Venus. 
Antidote  to  poisons  and  to  the  bites  of  venomous 
creatures. 

AQUILA.  A  flying  eagle  with  an  arrow  beneath  his  feet. 
Sign  :  Cancer.  Nature  :  Jupiter  and  Mercury ;  the 
arrow,  however,  is  of  Mars  and  Venus.  Preserves 
former  honors,  adds  new  ones,  and  helps  to  victory. 

PISCES  or  DELPHOTUS.  Figured  in  relief  (?)  Sign: 
Aquarius.  Nature:  Saturn  and  Mars.  If  this  en- 
graved gem  be  attached  to  nets  it  causes  them  to 
be  filled  with  fsh,  and  it  renders  the  wearer  for- 
tunate in  fishing. 

PEGASUS.  Some  represent  the  half  of  a  winged  horse; 
others  the  whole  figure  and  without  a  bridle.  Sign: 
Aries.  Nature:  Mars  and  Jupiter.  Gives  victory 
in  the  field,  and  makes  the  wearer  swift,  cautious,  and' 
bold. 
23 


354          CUBIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

CETUS.  Figure  of  a  large  fish,  with  curved  tali  and  ca- 
pacious gullet.  Sign:  Taurus.  Nature:  Saturn. 
Renders  the  wearer  fortunate  on  the  sea  and  makes 
him  prudent  and  agreeable.  It  also  restores  lost 
articles. 

ORION.  With  or  without  armor,  man  holding  a  sword  or 
a  scythe  in  his  hand.  Sign :  Gemini.  Nature :  Jupi- 
ter, Saturn,  and  Mars.  Gives  the  wearer  victory 
over  his  enemies. 

NAVIS.  A  ship  with  prow  curved  back  and  spread  sails; 
sometimes  with  and  sometimes  without  oars.  Sign: 
Leo.  Nature:  Saturn  and  Jupiter.  Renders  the 
wearer  fortunate  in  his  undertakings;  he  runs  no  risk 
on  sea  or  water,  neither  can  he  be  injured  by  water. 

CANTS  MAJOR.  Figure  of  a  dog  for  coursing-  hares,  with 
a  curved  tail.  Sign:  Cancer.  Nature:  Venus. 
Cures  lunacy,  insanity,  and  demoniacal  possession. 

LEPUS.  Figure  of  a  hare  with  ears  pricked  up  and  the 
feet  represented  as  though  in  swift  motion.  Sign: 
Gemini.  Nature:  Saturn  and  Mercury.  Cures 
frenzy  and  protects  from  the  wiles  of  demons.  The 
wearer  cannot  be  hurt  by  a  malignant  spirit. 

CENTAUR.  Half-figure  of  a  bull,  bearing  a  man  on  whose 
left  shoulder  rests  a  lance,  from  which  depends  a 
hare.  In  his  right  hand  the  man  holds  a  small, 
supine  animal  with  a  vessel  attached  to  it.  Sign : 
Libra.  Nature:  Jupiter  and  Mars.  Gives  con- 
stancy and  perpetual  health. 

CANIS  MINOR.  Figure  of  a  dog,  sitting.  Sign:  Cancer. 
Nature:  Jupiter.  Guards  from  dropsy,  pestilence, 
and  the  bites  of  dogs. 

SACRARIUS  TURUBTTLTIS  (ARA).  An  altar  with  burning  in- 
cense. Sign:  Sagittarius.  Nature:  Venus  and  Mer- 
cury. Gives  the  wearer  power  to  recognize  spirits, 
to  converse  with  them,  and  to  command  them;  also 
confers  chastity. 

HYDRA.  A  serpent,  having  an  urn  at  its  head  and  a  raven 
at  its  tail.  Sign:  Cancer.  Nature:  Saturn  and 
Venus.  Gives  riches  and  all  good  gifts  to  the 
wearer  and  makes  him  cautious  and  prudent. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        355 

CORONA  AUSTRALIS.  An  imperial  crown.  Sign:  Libra. 
Nature:  Saturn  and  Mars.  Augments  wealth  and 
makes  the  wearer  gay  and  happy. 

AURIGA.  A  man  in  a  chariot,  bearing  a  goat  on  his  left 
shoulder.  Sign:  Gemini.  Nature:  Mercury.  Makes 
the  wearer  successful  in  hunting. 

VEXILLUM.  A  flag  flying  from  the  extremity  of  a  lance 
Sign :  Scorpion.  Gives  skill  in  war  and  confers  vic- 
tory in  the  field. 


FIGURES  OF  THE  PLANETS 

SATURN.  An  old  man  holding  a  curved  scythe  in  his  hand  and  with 
a  not  very  heavy  beard.  Engraved  on  a  stone  of  the 
nature  of  Saturn,  it  renders  the  wearer  powerful  and 
augments  his  power  continually. 

JUPITER.  A  seated  figure,  sometimes  in  a  chariot,  holding  a  staff  in 
one  hand  and  a  spear  in  the  other.  It  renders  the  wearer 
fortunate,  especially  if  engraved  on  a  Kabratis  stone, 
and  he  easily  gains  what  he  wishes,  especially  from  priests. 
He  will  be  raised  to  honors  and  dignities. 

MARS.  Represented  sometimes  with  a  banner  and  sometimes 
with  a  lance  or  other  weapon.  He  is,  indeed,  always 
armed  and  at  times  mounted  on  a  horse.  Gives  victory, 
boldness  in  war,  and  success  in  everything,  especially  if 
engraved  on  an  appropriate  stone. 

SUN.  Sometimes  as  the  solar  disk  with  rays,  sometimes  as  a  man 

in  a  chariot,  and  this  occasionally  is  surrounded  by  the 
signs  of  the  zodiac.  Renders1  the  wearer  powerful  and  a 
victor;  this  gem  is  prized  by  hunters. 

VENUS  Many  forms,  among  them  that  of  a  woman  with  a  volumi- 
nous dress  and  a  stole,  holding  a  laurel  in  her  hand.  Gives 
skill  in  handling  affairs  and  usually  brings  them  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue;  removes  the  fear  of  drowning. 

MERCURY.  Figure  of  a  slender  man,  usually  with  a  beautiful  beard,  but 
sometimes  without.  He  has  winged  feet  and  holds  the 
caduceus.  Increases  knowledge  and  confers  eloquence.  It 
aids  merchants,  enabling  them  to  acquire  wealth. 


356          CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

MOON".  Yarious  forms.    Sometimes  as  a  crescent,  sometimes  as  a 

young  woman  in  a  chariot  and  holding  a  quiver,  and  at 
others  as  a  woman  with  a  quiver  and  following  the  chase 
with  dogs.  Aids  the  fortunes  of  those  who  are  sent  on  an 
embassy,  and  enables  them  to  acquire  wealth  and  honor 
thereby.  Is  said  to  confer  speed  and  facility  in  under- 
takings and  a  happy  issue.20 

When  Hudibras  attacked  and  overcame  the  sorcerer 
Sidrophal,  he  rifled  the  latter 's  pockets  of  all  his  mystic 
treasures.  Among  these  were 

Several  constellation  stones, 
Engraved  in  planetary  hours, 
That  over  mortals  had  strange  powers, 
To  make  them  thrive  in  law  or  trade, 
And  stab  or  poison  to  evade, 
In  wit  and  wisdom  to  improve, 
And  be  victorious  in  love.n 

These  manifold  influences  exerted  by  the  stars  and 
planets  through  the  medium  of  the  gems,  not  only  con- 
cerned those  actually  present  in  a  material  form,  but  also 
those  that  were  seen  in  dreams,  and  interpretations  of 
such  dreams  are  given  by  old  writers. 

Many  Oneirocritica,  or  "  dream-books, "  were  written 
or  compiled  in  the  early  centuries  of  our  era,  one  of  the 
most  noted  being  the  work  of  Artemidorus,  who  flour- 
ished in  the  second  century  AJ>.  Every  object  seen  in 
a  dream  was  given  a  special  meaning,  and  it  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  Artemidorus  believed  dreams  of  rings 
or  other  ornaments,  as  well  as  of  precious  stones,  to  be 
of  favorable  significance  only  for  women.  Such  dreams 
indicated  marriage  for  unmarried  women,  and  the  birth 

20  Camilli  Leonardi,  "  Speculum  Lapidum,"  Venetia,  1502,  f .  Hzi 
'*  Butler,  "  Hudibras/''  Part  II,  Canto  m,  11,  1096-1103. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        357 

of  children  for  those  already  married.  If  a  woman  was 
both  wife  and  mother  when  she  saw  sparkling  jewels  in 
her  dream,  then  the  vision  portended  the  acquisition  of 
great  wealth.  Artemidorns  here  sagely  remarks  that 
women  are  by  nature  devoted  to  riches  and  passionately 
fond  of  ornaments.  For  men,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
dream  of  jewels  was  an  ill  omen;  probably  because  it 
foreshadowed  the  necessity  of  buying  them  for  a  good 
friend  or  a  faithful  wife.22 

Another  of  these  dream-books,  probably  composed  in 
the  eighth  century  A.D.,  appears  under  the  name  of  Acha- 
metis  and  is  of  Arabic  origin.  Many  of  the  interpreta- 
tions in  this  book  are  referred  to  a  Hindu  source,  and 
among  these  are  visions  of  crowns  that  appear  to  kings. 
Such  a  dream,  in  itself,  usually  portended  increased 
power  and  success  for  the  sovereign,  but  this  depended 
upon  the  color  and  character  of  the  jewels  which  adorned 
the  crown.  For  example,  we  read  that  if  the  gems  were 
red  and  of  the  kind  known  as  lychnites  (carbuncles  or 
rubies),  the  dream  indicated  that  the  king  would  have 
great  joy  and  good  fortune  and  would  be  more  feared 
by  his  enemies  than  before;  but  if  he  saw  blue  gems  in 
the  crown,  it  was  a  bad  omen,  foreshadowing  the  loss  of 
part  of  his  kingdom.  If  the  stones  were  of  a  light  green 
hue  (the  color  of  the  leek),  the  king  would  gain  a  great 
name  in  the  world,  both  by  his  good  faith  and  by  the 
greatness  of  his  kingdom;  for,  the  writer  adds,  "this 
color  in  precious  stones  is  universally  accepted  as  signi- 
fying good-faith  and  religious  devotion  to  God. " 23 

22  Arternidori    Daldiani    et    AehametLs    Sereimi    Oneiroeritica,  ed. 
Regaltius,  Lutetiaj,  1603,  pp.  80,  87. 
38  Ibid.,  p.  228. 


358          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 
There  is  signified  by  dreaming  of 

Agates    A.  journey. 

Amber    A  voyage. 

Amethysts Freedom  from  harm. 

Aquamarines   New  friends. 

Beryls Happiness  in  store. 

Bloodstones    * , ,  * Distressing  news. 

Carbuncles     Acquirement  of  wisdom. 

Carnelians    Impending  misfortune. 

CatVeyes Treachery. 

Chalcedony    Friends  rejoined. 

Chrysoberyls   A  time  of  need. 

Chrysolites  Necessary  caution. 

Coral    Recovery  from  illness. 

Crystal  Freedom  from  enemies. 

Diamonds Victory    over   enemies. 

Emeralds    Much  to  look  forward  to. 

Garnets    The  solution  of  a  mystery. 

Heliotropes    Long  life. 

Hyacinths    A  heavy  storm. 

Jacinths Success. 

Jasper    Love  returned. 

Jfit    Sorrow. 

Lapis-lazuli   Faithful  lore. 

Moonstones    Impending  danger. 

Moss-agates   An  unsuccessful  journey. 

A  happy  marriage. 
Great  possessions. 

Faithful  friends. 

Porphyry Death. 

Rubies    Unexpected  guests. 

Sapphires    Escape  from  danger. 

Sardonyx  Love  of  friends.  * 

Topaz  No  harm  shall  befall. 

Tourmalines     An  accident. 

Turquoises  Prosperity> 

If  precious  stones  be  so  combined  in  a  ring,  or  other 
jewel  that  the  initial  letters  of  their  names  spell  words 


KNOWN  AS  THAT  OF  RATNTR  FOY,  TNT  TIIF,  ABiuov-(niuiuiu 

AT  CONQUKS,  DKPT.  AVKYRON,  KRANCK. 


It   irt  Htudd< 


various  c 
is  S.">  ctn.  ( 


crystal  \V:IH  cs 


I  with  precious  un<l  .scini-prccioiin 


find  engraved 


(luting  from 


pious  offerings  of  those  whose  priiyers  have  been  answered.  The 
lies)  hi^h  und  is  of  tfold  in  u  core  of  wood.  Probably  of  the  tenth  eentury. 
crystal  balls  adorning  the  seat  are  said  to  renlaee  golden  doves.  Hoek- 
hilly  dedicated  to  the  moon 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        359 

significant  of  a  tender  sentiment  or  implying  good  for- 
tune, or  else  the  name  of  someone  dear  to  the  giver  of  the 
jewel,  this  is  also  supposed  to  strengthen  their  astral  or 
planetary  influence  and  to  render  them  more  potent 
charms.  In  the  following  examples  the  gems  in  the  first 
column  are  the  more  expensive,  those  in  the  second 
column  being  comparatively  inexpensive  ones. 

ACEOSTICS  FORMED  WITH  STONES 

In  France  and  England,  during  the  18th  century, 
rings,  bracelets,  brooches,  etc.,  were  often  set  with  gems 
the  first  letters  of  which,  combined,  formed  a  motto  or 
expressed  a  sentiment.  The  following  is  a  list  of  those 
that  may  be  used  in  this  way.  The  choice  of  stones 
afforded  here  brings  these  pretty  devices  within  the  reach 
of  all. 


FAITH 


Fire-opal. 

Alexandrite. 

lolite. 

Tourmaline. 

Hyacinth. 


Hyacinth. 
Opal. 
Pearl. 
Emerald. 


CatVeye. 

Hyacinth. 

Aquamarine. 

Ruby, 

lolite. 

Tourmaline. 

Yellow  sapphire. 


HOPE 


CHAEITY 


Feldspar. 

Amethyst. 

Idocrase. 

Topaz. 

Heliotrope. 


Hematite. 
Olivine. 
Pyrope. 
Essonite. 


Carbuncle. 

Hematite. 

Amethyst. 

Rose  quartz. 

Idocrase. 

Topaz. 

Yu  (Jade). 


360  CURIOUS  LOEE  OF  PBECIOUS  STONES 

GOOD  LUCK 


Golden  beryl. 
Opal. 
O  Irvine. 
Diamond. 

Lapis-lazuli. 
Urallan  emerald. 
Cat's-eye. 
Kunzite. 


Garnet. 
Onyx. 
Obsidian. 
Dendiite. 

Labradorite. 
TTnio  pearl. 
Carnelian. 
Krokidolite 


FOREVER 


Fire-opal. 

OpaL 

Ruby. 

Emerald. 

Vermeille. 

Essonite. 

Rubellite. 


Fleches  d'amour 
Onyx. 

Rutile. 
Essonite* 
Verd  antique. 
Epidote. 
Rose 


REGABD 


Ruby. 

Emerald. 

Garnet. 

Alexandrite. 

Ruby. 

Diamond. 


Rubellite. 

Essonite. 

Garnet, 

Amethyst* 

Rock-crystal. 

Demantcid. 


ZES 
Greek,  meaning  "Mayest  thou  live." 

Zircon.  Zonochlorite* 

Emerald.  Essonite. 

Sapphire.  Sard. 


MIZPAH 


Moonstone. 

Indicolite. 

Zircon. 

Peridot. 

Asteria. 

Hyacinth. 


Moldavite. 

Idocnxse. 

Zonochlorite. 

Pyrope, 

Aquamarine. 

Hematite. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES 


361 


FRIENDSHIP 


Filches  d'  amour 

Ruby. 

Indicolite. 

Emerald. 

Nephrite. 

Diamond. 

Sapphire. 

Hyacinth. 

lolite. 

Pearl. 

Diamond. 

Emerald. 

Alexandrite. 

Ruby. 

Essonite. 

Sapphire. 

Turquoise. 

Sapphire. 

Opal. 

TTralian  emerald. 

Vermeille. 

Emerald. 

Nephrite. 

lolite. 

Ruby. 

Beryl. 

Opal. 

Nephrite. 

Hyacinth. 

Emerald. 

Uralian  emerald. 

Ruby. 

Alexandrite. 

Moonstone. 

Indicolite. 

Tourmaline. 

Idocrase. 

Emerald. 


DEAREST 


SOUVENIR 


BONHEUR 


AMITIfi 


Feldspar. 

Rock  crystal. 

Idocrase. 

Epidote. 

Nicolo. 

Diopside. 

Sard. 

Hematite, 

Idocrase. 

Pyrite. 

Demantoid. 

Esaonite. 

Amethyst. 

Rubellite. 

Epidote. 

Spinel. 

Topaz. 

Sunstone. 
Onyx. 

Utahlite. 

Verd  antique. 

Epidote. 

Nephrite. 

Indicolite. 

Rock-crystal. 

Bloodstone. 
Onyx. 

Nephrite. 

Hematite. 

Essonite. 

Utahlite. 

Rhodonite. 

Almandine. 

Moonstone. 

Indicolite. 

Topaz. 

Idocrase. 

Essonite. 


362          CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

LOVE  ME 

Lapis-lazuli.  Labrador  spar. 

Opal.  Onyx. 

Vermeille.  Verd  antique. 

Emerald.  Essonite. 

Moonstone.  Moonstone. 

Essonite.  Epidote. 

AEI 
Greek,  meaning  "forever,"  "eternity." 

Alexandrite.  Almandine. 

Emerald.  Essonite. 

Indicolite.  Idocrase. 

An  attractive  engagement  ring  can  be  formed  of  a 
central  diamond  from  which  extend  the  rays  of  a  five- 
pointed  star.  Between  the  rays  are  set  the  stones  em- 
blematic of  the  zodiacal  sign,  of  the  guardian  angel  of 
the  month,  of  the  planet  control  of  the  hour  and  also  the 
two  stones  indicating  the  initial  letter  of  the  two  Chris- 
tian names.  This  ring  is  in  the  form  of  the  mystic 
Pentagon,  the  grand  symbol  of  constancy  and  durability, 
since  the  number  five  is  composed  of  three,  which  sig- 
nifies creative  power,  and  two,  which  typifies  the  balance, 
that  is,  stability. 

As,  according  to  the  old  fancy,  the  influences  due  to 
the  light  emanations  from  the  planets  or  fixed  stars,  or 
from  the  combination  of  the  stars  in  a  zodiacal  sign,  would 
have  a  peculiar  and  more  or  less  intimate  connection  with 
the  fate  of  one  country  rather  than  of  another,  an  attempt 
is  here  made  to  give  a  charcteristic  stone  for  each  coun- 
try. In  the  case  of  the  United  States  the  various  gem- 
stones  found  within  the  boundaries  of  each  of  the  States 
of  the  Union  are  given.  That  this  special  influence  was 
exceptionally  potent  in  regard  to  those  born  in  the  coun- 
tries in  question  was  also  taught  and  hence  a  national 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        363 

gem  would  have  a  greater  talismanic  power  than  any 
other  for  the  natives  of  each  separate  country.  For 
those  who  may  feel  a  certain  degree  of  sympathy  for 
time-honored  fancies,  and  who  may  perhaps  also  have 
a  trace  of  superstition  hidden  away  in  some  part  of  their 
consciousness,  one  of  our  State  gems  would  have  a  simi- 
lar significance. 

GEMS  OF  COUNTRIES 

Alaska    Garnet 

Algiers     Coral 

Arabia Pearl 

Austria-Hungary    Opal 

Belgium  Crystal 

Bohemia,     Garnet 

Bokhara  Lapis-lazuli 

Bolivia   Lapis-lazuli 

Brazil  Tourmaline   (Brazilian  emerald) 

Burma     Ruby 

Canada     Socialite 

Ceylon    Cat7s-eye 

Chili   Lapis-lazuli 

China   Jade 

Congo Dioptase 

Denmark    Agate 

Egypt     Peridot 

England     Diamond 

France   Pearl 

Germany    Amber 

German  West  Africa Diamond 

Greece    * * Sapphire 

Holland   Diamond 

Hungary    Opal 

India    Pearl 

Ireland     Precious  serpentine  (Connemara) 

Italy   Coral 

Japan  Rock-crystal 

Korea  Abalone  pearl 


364          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Madagascar Morganite 

Mexico    Obsidian 

Morocco   Coral 

New  England  Tourmaline 

New  South  Wales Opal 

New  Zealand Jade 

Norway-Sweden   Carnelian 

Panama    Agate 

Persia Turquoise 

Peru    Emerald 

Philippines    Pearl 

Portugal     Chrysoberyl 

Roumania    Amber 

Russia    Rhodonite 

Sandwich  Islands Olivine 

Scotland    Cairngorm  (smoky  quartz) 

Servia    Coral 

Siam  Ruby 

Sicily    Amber 

South  Africa Diamond 

Spain    Emerald 

Switzerland Rock-crystal 

Turkestan Jade 

Turkey   Turquoise 

United  States  Sapphire 

Uruguay Amethyst 

UNITED  STATES  STONES 

Precious,  semi-precious,  or  gem  stones  are  found  in  nearly  every 
State  of  the  Union.    The  most  important  are  enumerated  below: 

Alabama Beryl,  blue  and  yellow;  smoky  quartz. 

Arizona Agatized  wood,  azur-malaehite,  turquoise,  garnet, 

peridot. 
Arkansas Rock-crystal,  smoky  quartz,  agate,  diamond,  nova/- 

culite. 
California Agate,  benitoite,  calif ornite,  diamond,  gold  quartz, 

tourmaline,  abalone  pearl,  ehrysoprase,  kunzite, 

morganite. 


PLANETARY  AND  ASTRAL  INFLUENCES        365 

Colorado . . ,  Beryl,    aquamarine,   phenacite,   garnet,    amethyst, 

agate,  gold  quartz,  pyrite. 

Connecticut Beryl,  yellow  and  green ;  rose  quartz,  tourmaline. 

Delaware Pearl. 

Florida Chalcedony,  conch  pearl. 

Georgia Ruby,  beryl,  amethyst,  gold  quartz,  garnet. 

Idaho Opal,  agate,  obsidian. 

Illinois Fluorite,  pearl. 

Indian  Territory. . . .  Obsidian,  pearl. 

Indiana    Pearl. 

Iowa Fossil  coral,  pearl,  chalcedony. 

Kansas Chalcedony. 

Kentucky Pearl. 

Louisiana Chalcedony. 

Maine  Tourmaline,  beryl,  rose  quartz,  pearl,  topaz,  ama- 

zonite,  smoky  quartz,  rock-crystal. 

Maryland   Beryl,  clam-pearl. 

Massachusetts Beryl. 

Michigan Agate,  hematite. 

Minnesota Chlorastrolite,  thomsonite,  agate 

Mississippi Pearl,  chalcedony. 

Missouri    Pearl,  fluorite,  pyrite. 

Montana Sapphire,  beryl,  smoky  quartz,  agate,  amethyst, 

agatized  wood,  obsidian. 

Nebraska Chalcedony,  pearl. 

Nevada Gold  quartz,  rock-crystal. 

New  Hampshire Beryl,  rock-crystal,  garnet. 

New  Jersey ....  Fowlerite,    willemite,    prelmite,    smoky    quartz, 

agate,  pearl. 

New  Mexico Turquoise,  garnet,  obsidian,  peridot,  rock-crystal. 

New  York    Beryl,  brown  tourmaline,  rose  quartz,  fresh-water 

pearl,  clam-pearl,  chondrodite. 
North  Carolina  .....  Aquamarine,    beryl,    emerald,    almandite   garnet, 

rhodolite,  pyrope  garnet,  diamond,  cyanite,  hid- 

denite,  amethyst,  ruby,  sapphire,  smoky  quartz, 

rock-crystal,  rutile. 

North  Dakota Chalcedony,  agate. 

Ohio Fossil  coral,  chalcedony. 

Oregon , Agate,  obsidian,  hydrolite. 


366         CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Pennsylvania* Amethyst,  beryl,  sunstone,  moonstone,  amazonite, 

almandite  garnet,  pyrope  garnet,  rutile. 

Bhode  Island Hornblende  in  quartz,  amethyst,  rock-crystal. 

South  Carolina Beryl,  smoky  quartz,  rock-crystal. 

South  Dakota Quartzite,  beryl,  agate. 

Tennessee Pearl. 

Texas Beryl,  pearl,  tourmaline. 

Utah Topaz,  garnet. 

Virginia Amethyst,  spessarite,  garnet,  beryl,  moonstone, 

staurolite,  allanite. 

Vermont Beryl,  pearl. 

Washington Pearl,  agate. 

West  Virginia Rock-crystal. 

Wisconsin Agate,  pearl. 

Wyoming Moss-agate,  agate. 


INSCRIPTION  ON   A  SMALL  TIKCH  OF  LIMMSTONK,  IN  CURHIVK  KCJYPTIAN 

WRITINCJ. 
It  dates  from  ubout   1(500  a  c  ,    the  period  <>f  the  labors  PnijyruH,  and  |u;ives  direetioilH  for 


XI 
C^erapeutf  c 


medicinal  use  of  precious  stones  may  be  traced 
back  to  very  ancient  times.  It  has  been  conjectured 
that  their  employment  for  such  purposes  was  introduced 
to  Europe  from  India,  whence  many  of  the  stones  were 
derived.  Nevertheless,  the  earliest  evidence  we  have 
rather  points  to  Egypt  as  the  source,  and,  indeed,  it  ap- 
pears that  in  early  Egyptian  times  the  chemical  constit- 
uents of  the  stones  were  much  more  rationally  considered 
than  at  a  later  period  in  Europe.  The  Ebers  Papyrus, 
for  instance,  recommends  the  use  of  certain  astringent 
substances,  such  as  lapis-lazuli,  as  ingredients  of  eye- 
salves,  and  hematite,  an  iron  oxide,  was  used  for  checking 
hemorrhages  and  for  reducing  inflammations.  Little  by 
little,  however,  superstition  associated  certain  special 
virtues  with  the  color  and  quality  of  precious  stones, 
and  their  virtues  were  thought  to  be  greatly  enhanced 
by  engraving  on  them  the  image  of  some  god,  or  of  some 
object  symbolizing  certain  of  the  activities  of  nature. 
Later  still,  the  science  of  astrology,  most  highly  devel- 
oped in  Assyria  and  Babylonia,  was  brought  into  combi- 
nation with  the  various  superstitions  above  indicated,  so 
that  the  image  was  believed  to  have  much  greater  efficacy 
if  the  engraving  were  executed  when  the  sun  was  in  a 
certain  constellation  or  when  the  moon  or  some  one  of 
the  planets  was  in  the  ascendant  at  the  time. 

If  we  exclude  certain  fragmentary  notices  in  Egyp- 

367 


368          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

tian  literature— notably  the   statements   in   the   Ebers 
Papyrus — and  the  very  uncertain  sources  in  Hindu  liter- 
ature, the  earliest  authority  for  this  branch  of  the  subject 
is  the  Natural  History  of  Pliny.    In  this  connection,  how- 
ever, it  is  only  just  to  call  attention  to  a  fact  which  has 
been  often  ignored — namely,  that  Pliny  himself  had  very 
little  faith  in  the  teachings  of  the  "magi,"  as  he  calls 
them,  in  regard  to  the  superstitious  use  of  gems  for  the 
prevention  or  cure  of  diseases ;  indeed,  he  seems  to  have 
been  almost  as  sceptical  in  his  attitude  as  many  modern 
writers,  for  certain  quite  recent  authorities  still  credit 
amber  and  a  few  other  mineral  substances  with  thera- 
peutic effects  other  than  those  which  can  be  explained  by 
the  known  action  of  their  chemical  constituents.     Still, 
Pliny  yielded  so  far  to  the  taste  of  his  time  as  to  preserve 
for  us  many  of  the  statements  of  earlier  writers  on  the 
subject,  naming  them  in  most  cases  and  so  enabling-  us  to 
form  some  idea  of  the  character  of  this  pseudo-science  in 
the  Eoman  world  in  the  first  century  of  our  era.    With 
the  gradual  decay  of  ancient  learning,  the  loss  valuable 
elements  of  popular  belief  came  more  and  more  into  the 
foreground,  and  the  old  superstitions  were  freely  copied 
by  successive  authors,  each  of  whom  felt  called  upon  to 
add  something  new  on  his  own  account.    This  explains 
much  of  the  confusion  that  reigns  in  regard  to  the  attri- 
bution of  special  virtues  to  the  different  stones,  for  the 
wider  the  reading  of  the  author  the  greater  became  the 
number  of  virtues  attributed  to  each  separate  stone,  until, 
at  last,  we  might  almost  say  that  each  and  every  precious 
stone  could  be  used  for  the  cure  of  all  diseases.    Never- 
theless, it  is  comparatively  easy  to  see  that  either  the 
color  or  constitution  of  the  stone  originally  indicated  its 
use  for  this  or  that  disease. 

A  distinction  is  often  made  between  the  talismanic 


ON  THEKAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  369 

qualities  of  precious  stones  for  the  cure  or  prevention 
of  disease  and  the  properly  medicinal  use  of  them  as 
mineral  substances.  In  the  former  case  the  effect  was 
attained  by  merely  wearing  them  on  the  person,  while 
in  the  latter  case  they  were  reduced  to  a  powder,  which, 
was  dissolved  as  far  as  possible  in  water  or  some  other 
liquid  and  then  taken  internally.  As,  however,  the  end 
to  be  attained  is  the  same  whether  the  stone  be  worn  or 
taken  internally  as  a  powder  or  liquid,  it  seems  more 
logical  to  treat  of  both  these  methods  of  therapeutic  use 
together,  reserving  for  the  chapter  on  the  talismanic  use 
of  gems  only  their  employment  to  avert  misfortunes 
other  than  those  caused  by  disease,  and  their  influence 
in  the  procuring  of  wealth,  honors,  and  happiness  for 
their  wearers. 

The  belief  in  the  curative  properties  of  precious  stones 
was  at  one  time  universal  among  all  those  to  whom  gems 
were  known.  When  we  read  to-day  of  the  various  ills 
that  were  supposed  to  be  cured  by  the  use  of  these  gems, 
we  find  it  difficult  to  understand  what  process  of  thought 
could  have  suggested  the  idea  of  employing  such  inef- 
fectual remedies.  It  is  true  that  the  constituents  of  cer- 
tain stones  can  be  absorbed  by  the  human  body  and  have 
a  definite  effect  upon  it,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  ele- 
ments are  so  combined  that  they  cannot  be  assimilated, 
and  they  pass  through  the  system  without  producing  any 
apparent  effect. 

In  ancient  and  medieval  times,  however,  other  than 
chemical  agencies  were  supposed  to  be  efficient  in  the  cure 
of  diseases,  and  the  primitive  animistic  conception  of  the 
cause  of  illness,  and  hence  of  the  therapeutics  of  disease, 
long  held  sway  among  those  who  practised  the  medical 
art.  Remedies  were  prized  because  of  their  rarity,  and 
also  because  it  was  believed  that  certain  spiritual  or 

24 


370          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

planetary  influences  had  aided  in  their  production  and 
were  latent  in  them.  Besides  this,  the  symbolism  of  color 
played  a  very  important  part  in  recommending  the  use 
of  particular  stones  for  special  diseases.  This  may  be 
noted  in  the  case  of  the  red  or  reddish  stones,  such  as 
the  ruby,  spinel,  garnet,  carnelian,  bloodstone,  etc.  These 
were  thought  to  be  sovereign  remedies  for  hemorrhages 
of  all  kinds,  as  well  as  for  all  inflammatory  diseases; 
they  were  also  believed  to  exercise  a  calming  influence 
and  to  remove  anger  and  discord.  The  red  hue  of  these 
stones  was  supposed  to  indicate  their  fitness  for  such 
use,  upon  the  principle  similia  similibus  curantur.  In  the 
same  way  yellow  stones  were  prescribed  for  the  cure  of 
bilious  disorders,  for  jaundice  in  all  its  forms  and  for 
other  diseases  of  the  liver. 

The  use  of  green  stones  to  relieve  diseases  of  the 
eye  was  evidently  suggested  by  the  beneficial  influence 
exerted  by  this  color  upon  the  sight.  The  verdant 
emerald  represented  the  beautiful  green  fields,  upon 
which  the  tired  eye  rests  so  willingly,  and  which  exert 
such  a  soothing  influence  upon  the  sight  when  it  has  been 
unduly  strained  or  fatigued.  One  of  the  earliest,  prob- 
ably the  very  earliest  reference  in  Greek  writings  to  the 
therapeutic  value  of  gems,  appears  in  the  works  of  Theo- 
phrastus,  who  wrote  in  the  third  century  before  Christ. 
Here  we  are  told  of  the  beneficial  effect  exercised  by  the 
emerald  upon  the  eyes. 

The  sapphire,  the  lapis-lazuli,  and  other  blue  stones, 
with  a  hue  resembling  the  blue  of  the  heavens,  were  be- 
lieved to  exert  a  tonic  influence,  and  were  supposed  to 
counteract  the  wiles  of  the  spirits  of  darkness  and  pro- 
cure the  aid  and  favor  of  the  spirits  of  light  and  wisdom, 
These  gems  were  usually  looked  upon  as  emblems  of 
chastity,  and  for  this  reason  the  sapphire  came  to  be 


<>f  euruclmn  heads      Pernuin.    The  deoorntion  IH  made  with  oarlx 

firing.     ChnrniH  uguin.st,  the  Kvil  lOye. 
of  onyx  heads.    Kurly  ChriHtlun, 


ol  lime  ar-d  Used  \» 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  371 

regarded  as  especially  appropriate  for  use  in  ecclesias- 
tical rings.  Among  purple  stones,  the  amethyst  is  par- 
ticularly noteworthy.  The  well-known  belief  that  this 
gem  counteracted  the  effects  of  undue  indulgence  in  in- 
toxicating beverages  is  indicated  by  its  name,  derived 
from  ftsofo  —  "  to  be  intoxicated,"  and  the  privative  a, 
the  name  thus  signifying  the  " sobering'7  gem.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  a  fancied  resemblance  between  the  pre- 
vailing hue  of  these  stones  and  that  of  certain  kinds  of 
wine  first  gave  rise  to  the  name  $nd  to  the  idea  of  the 
peculiar  virtues  of  the  amethyst. 

We  have  mentioned  only  a  few  of  the  more  obvious 
analogies  suggested  by  the  color  of  gems,  and  we  might 
be  tempted  to  cite  many  others  were  it  not  that  symbolism 
is  always  treacherous  ground,  since  there  is  practically 
no  limit  to  the  correspondences  that  may  be  found  be- 
tween sensuous  impressions  and  ideas. 

One  great  difficulty  which  besets  any  one  who  is  try- 
ing to  find  a  clue  to  guide  him  through  the  labyrinth  of 
the  medical  affinities  of  gems  is  the  fact  that  there  was, 
from  an  early  period,  a  tendency  to  attribute  the  virtues 
of  one  gem  to  another,  probably  owing  to  the  commercial 
instinct  which  urged  the  dealer  to  praise  his  wares  in 
every  possible  way,  so  that  no  part  of  his  stock  should 
fail  to  find  a  purchaser.  This  tendency  is  especially 
marked  in  the  old  Hindu  Lapidaries,  wherein  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  find  any  differentiation  of  the  stones  in 
respect  to  their  curative  or  talismanic  virtues.  Only  the 
condition  and  perfection  of  the  gems  are  made  the  cri- 
terion of  their  worth.  Any  given  stone,  if  perfect,  was  a 
source  of  all  blessings  to  the  wearer  and  possessed  all 
remedial  powers,  while  a  defective  stone,  or  one  lacking 
the  proper  lustre  or  color,  was  destined  to  be  a  source  of 
untold  misfortune  to  the  owner. 


372          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

The  European  writers  on  the  medical  properties  of 
precious  stones  were  influenced  by  quite  different  con- 
siderations ;  their  chief  aim  was  to  represent  each  stone, 
regarded  simply  as  a  mineral  substance,  as  being  the 
abode  of  the  greatest  possible  number  of  curative  prop- 
erties. Indeed,  many  of  the  most  highly  recommended 
electuaries  contained  all  kinds  of  stones,  as  though  the 
effect  to  be  produced  did  not  depend  upon  the  qualities 
of  any  single  stone,  or  class  of  stones,  but  rather  upon 
the  quantity  used.  In  Arnobio's  "Tesoro  delle  Gioie,"1 
we  have  a  receipt  for  the  composition  of  "the  most  noble 
electuary  of  jacinth. "  This  contains  jacinth,  emerald, 
sapphire,  topaz,  garnet,  pearl,  ruby,  white  and  red  coral, 
and  amber,  as  well  as  many  animal  and  vegetable  sub- 
stances, in  all,  thirty-four  ingredients.  It  would  indeed 
seem  that  a  good  dose  of  such  a  mixture  should  have 
provided  a  cure  for  "all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to,"  by 
the  simple  and  effective  means  of  removing  the  unhappy 
patient  to  a  better  world. 

Treating  of  the  metallic  affinities  of  preciouvS  stones, 
Paracelsus  (1493-1541)  affirmed  that  the  emerald  was  a 
copper  stone ;  the  carbuncle  and  the  jasper  were  golden 
stones ;  the  ruby  and  the  chalcedony,  silver  stones.  The 
" white  sapphire"  (corundum)  was  a  stone  of  Jupiter, 
while  the  jacinth  was  a  mercurial  stone.  Powdered 
jacinth  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  laudanum  was 
recommended  as  a  remedy  for  fevers  resulting  from 
"putrefaction  of  the  air  or  water."  This  illustrates 
the  custom  of  combining  an  inefficacious  material,  such 
as  the  powder  of  a  precious  stone,  with  another  possess- 
ing genuine  remedial  virtue,  the  name  of  the  stone  ap- 
pealing to  the  popular  superstitions  regarding  its  thera- 

1  Venice,  1602,  p.  254. 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  373 

peutic  powers,  and  thus  rendering  the  preparation  more 
acceptable.2 

It  is  related  by  Plutarch  that  when  Pericles  was  dying 
of  the  plague,  he  showed  to  one  of  his  friends,  who  was 
visiting  him,  an  amulet  suspended  from  his  neck.  This 
had  been  given  to  Pericles  by  the  women  of  his  house- 
hold, and  Plutarch  cites  the  instance  as  a  proof  that  even 
the  strongest  minds  will  at  certain  times  yield  to  the 
influence  of  superstition.3 

There  were  sceptics  in  ancient  times  who  put  no  faith 
in  the  popular  superstitions  as  to  the  curative  powers 
of  precious  stones.  Eusebius  (ca,  264r~ca.  349),  in  his 
oration  on  the  Emperor  Constantine  the  Great  (272-337), 
says  :  4 

He  held  that  the  varieties  of  stones  so  greatly  admired  were  use- 
less and  ineffective  things.  They  possessed  no  other  qualities  than  their 
natural  ones,  and  hence  no  efficacy  to  hold  evils  aloof;  for  what  power 
can  such  things  have  either  to  cure  disease  or  to  avert  death?  Never- 
theless, although  he  well  knew  this,  he  was  in  no  wise  opposed  to 
their  use  simply  as  ornaments  by  his  subjects. 


Middle  High  German  didactic  poem  on  precious 
stones,  composed  by  Volmar,  or  Volamar,  about  1250, 
appears  to  have  been  written  as  a  rejoinder  to  a  satirical 
poem,  the  work  of  a  writer  called  the  £  '  Strieker  '  '  (rascal)  . 
What  chiefly  aroused  Volmar's  wrath  was  the  fact  that 
this  irreverent  personage  dared  to  assert  that  a  piece  of 

a  "  The  Hermetic  and  Alchemical  writings  of  Aureolus  Philippus 
Theophrastus  Bombast  of  Hohenheim,  called  Paracelsus  the  Great," 
trans,  by  Arthur  Edward  Waite,  London,  1894,  Vol.  I,  pp.  14,  225, 
Vol.  II,  p.  218. 

"Plutarchi,  "  Vitas,"  ed.  Sinteris,  Lipsise,  1884,  p.  339;  Pericles,  38. 

*  Eusebii  Pamphili,  "  De  laudibus  Constantini,"  cap.  v  ;  in  Eusebii, 
"Opera  Omnia,"  ed.  Migne,  Parisiis,  1857,  cols.  1337,  1340;  Patro- 
Graecffi,  vol.  xx. 


374          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

colored  glass  set  in  a  ring  looked  just  as  well  and  pos- 
sessed the  same  virtues  as  a  genuine  precious  stone  of  the 
same  color.  Volmar  does  not  mince  matters,  and  roundly 
declares  that  whoever  should  Mil  the  man  who  wrote 
thus  would  do  no  sinful  act.  While  we  can  scarcely  rec- 
ommend such  drastic  action,  we  must  admit  that  we  feel 
a  little  sympathy  with  the  medieval  champion  of  genuine 
stones  against  imitations. 

A  most  interesting  item  recording  one  phase  of  a 
great  tyrant's  character  is  reported  by  Sir  Jerome  Hor- 
sey, who  was  entrusted  with  messages  to  and  from  Eliza- 
beth of  England  and  Ivan  the  Terrible  of  Russia.  He 
gives,  in  his  " Travels,"  a  graphic  recital  of  an  interview 
with  Ivan  just  before  the  latter  7s  death  in  1584.  "We  re- 
tain the  archaic  spelling  as  it  is  reproduced  in  the  Hak- 
luyt  publication  from  the  original  manuscript.  Writing 
of  Ivan,  Horsey  says ; 5 

Carried  every  daye  in  Ms  chair  into  his  treasure.  One  daye  the 
prince  heckoned  me  to  follow,  I  strode  emonge  the  rest  venturously, 
and  heard  him  call  for  som  precious  stones  and  Jewells,  Told  ihe 
prince  and  nobles  present  before  and  aboute  him  the  virtue  of  such  and 
such,  which  I  observed,  and  do  pray  I  may  a  littell  degress  to  declare 
for  ray  own  mernorie  sake. 

"  The  load-stone  you  all  know  hath  great  and  hidden  vertue,  with- 
out which  the  seas  that  eompas  the  world  ar  not  navigable,  nor  the 
bounds  nor  circles  of  the  earth  cannot  be  knowen.  Mahomett,  the 
Percians  profit,  his  tombe  of  steell  hangs  in  their  Bepatta  at  Darbent 
most  miraculously  " — Caused  the  waiters  to  bringe  a  cbaine  of  nedells 
towehed  by  his  load-stone,  hanged  all  one  by  the  other. — "  Tins  faira 
currell  (coral)  and  this  faire  turcas  you  see;  take  in  your  hand;  of 
his  natur  arr  orient  coullers;  put  them  on  my  hand  and  arm.  I  am 
poisoned  with  disease :  you  see  they  shewe  their  virtue  by  the  diainge 
of  their  pure  culler  into  pall :  declares  my  death.  Beach*  owt  my  staff 
roiall;  an  unicorns  horn  garnished  with  verie  fare  diomondes,  rubies, 

BThe  Travels  of  Sir  Jerome  Horsey,  Hakluyt  Society,  London, 
1856,  pp.  199,  200. 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  375 

sapliiers,  emeralls  and  other  precious  stones  that  ar  rich  in  vallew; 
cost  70  thousand  marekes  sterlings  of  David  Grower  from  the  f owlkers 
of  Ousborghe.0  Seek  owt  for  som  spiders."  Caused  his  phiziccians, 
Johannes  Lloff,  to  scrape  a  circle  thereof  upon  the  tahell;  putt  within 
it  one  spider  and  so  one  other  and  died,  and  some  other  without  that 
ran  alive  apace  from  it. — "It  is  too  late,  it  will  not  preserve  me. 
Behold  these  precious  stones.  This  diomond  is  the  orients  richest  and 
most  precious  of  all  other.  I  never  affected  it;  yt  restreyns  furie  and 
luxurie  and  abstinacie  and  chasticie;  the  least  parcell  of  it  in  powder 
will  poysen  a  horse  geaven  to  drinck,  much  more  a  man."  Poynts  at 
the  ruby.  "  Oh !  this  is  most  comfortable  to  the  hart,  braine,  vigar  and 
memorie  of  man,  clarifies  congelled  and  corrupt  bloud." — Then  at  the 
emerald. — "  The  natur  of  the  reyn-bowe ;  this  precious  stone  is  an 
enemye  to  uneleanness.  The  saphier  I  greatlie  delight  in;  yt  preserves 
and  increaseth  courage,  joies  the  hart,  pleasinge  to  all  the  vitall  sensis, 
precious  and  verie  soveraigne  for  the  eys,  clears  the  sight,  takes  awaye 
bloudshott  and  streingthens  the  mussells  and  strings  thereof." — Then 
takes  the  ones  in  hand. — "All  these  are  Gods  wonderfull  guifts, 
secreats  in  natur,  and  yet  revells  [reveals]  them  to  mans  use  and  eon- 
templacion,  as  frendes  to  grace  and  vertue  and  enymies  to  vice.  I 
fainte,  carie  me  awaye  till  an  other  tyme." 

Some  believed  that  when  precious  stones  were  worn 
to  relieve  or  prevent  disease,  it  was  important  that  the 
different  stones  should  be  worn  on  different  parts  of  the 
body.  According  to  one  authority,  the  jacinth  should  be 
worn  on  the  neck;  the  diamond,  on  the  left  arm;  the  sap- 
phire, on  the  ring-finger ;  the  emerald,  or  the  jacinth,  on 
the  index-finger ;  and  the  ruby  or  turquoise,  on  either  the 
index-finger  or  the  little  finger.7  There  is,  however,  little 
reason  to  assume  that  these  rules  were  generally  known 
and  observed. 

That  precious  stones  not  only  appealed  to  the  eye  by 

c  The  Fuggers  of  Augsburg,  the  jeweller  bankers  of  the  15th  and 
16th  centuries, 

7  Wolffii,  "  Curiostis  amtiletorum  scrutator,"  Francof  urti  et 
Lipsise,  1692,  p.  363;  citing  Eodolphus  Goclenius  (De  peste,  p.  70). 


376          CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

their  beautiful  colors,  but  also  possessed  a  fragrant  odor, 
was  one  of  the  many  fanciful  ideas  regarding  them.  If 
we  could  believe  the  following  circumstantial  account, 
this  was  once  experimentally  proved:8 

When  precious  stones  are  to  be  used  in  medicine,  they  must  be 
pulverized  until  they  are  reduced  to  a  powder  so  fine  that  it  will  not 
grate  under  the  teeth,  or,  in  the  words  of  (Men,  this  powder  must 
be  as  impalpable  "  as  that  which  is  blown  into  the  eyes."  Since  this 
trituration  is  not  usually  operated  with  sufficient  care  by  the  apothe- 
caries, I  begged  a  medical  student,  who  was  lodging  with  me,  to  pass 
an  entire  month  in  grinding  some  of  these  stones.  I  gave  him 
emeralds,  jacinths,  sapphires,  rubies,  and  pearls,  an  ounce  of  each 
kind.  As  these  stones  were  rough  and  whole,  he  first  crushed  them  a 
little  in  a  well-polished  iron  mortar,  using  a  pestle  of  the  same  metal ; 
afterward  he  employed  a  pestle  and  mortar  of  glass,  devoting  several 
hours  each  day  to  this  work.  At  the  end  of  about  three  weeks,  his 
room,  which  was  rather  large,  became  redolent  with  a  perfume,  agree- 
able both  from  its  variety  and  sweetness.  This  odor,  which  much 
resembled  that  of  March  violets,  lingered  in  the  room  for  more  than 
three  days.  There  was  nothing  in  the  room  to  produce  it,  so  that  it 
certainly  proceeded  from  the  powder  of  precious  stones. 

2Diamonti 

Of  the  many  medicinal  virtues  attributed  to  the  dia- 
mond, one  of  the  most  noteworthy  is  that  of  an  antidote 
for  poisons.  Strangely  enough,  the  belief  in  its  efficacy 
in  this  respect  was  coupled  with  the  idea  that  the  stone 
in  itself  was  a  deadly  poison.  The  origin  of  this  latter 
fancy  must  be  sought  in  the  tradition  that  the  place 
wherein  the  diamonds  were  generated — "in  the  land 
where  it  is  six  months  day  and  six  months  night"— was 
guarded  by  venomous  creatures  who,  in  passing  over  the 
stones,  were  wounded  by  tlie  sharp  points  of  the  crystals, 

8  Olaus  Borrichius,  in  the  Collection  Aeademique,  Paris,  1757, 
tome  iv,  p.  338. 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  377 

and  thus  embued  the  stones  with  some  of  their  venom.9 
The  attribution  of  curative  properties  in  case  of  poison- 
ing arose  from  association  of  ideas.  The  Lapidario  of 
Alfonso  X  recommends  the  diamond  for  diseases  of  the 
bladder;  it  adds,  however,  that  this  stone  should  be  used 
only  in  desperate  cases. 

The  diamond  was  also  believed  to  afford  protection 
from  plague  or  pestilence,  and  a  proof  of  its  powers  in 
this  direction  was  found  in  the  fact  that  the  plague  first 
attacked  the  poorer  classes,  sparing  the  rich,  who  could 
afford  to  adorn  themselves  with  diamonds.  Naturally, 
in  common  with  other  precious  stones,  this  brilliant  gem 
was  supposed  to  cure  many  diseases.  Marbodus 10  tells 
us  that  it  was  even  a  cure  for  insanity. 

In  the  Babylonian  Talmud  we  read  of  a  marvellous 
precious  stone  belonging  to  Abraham.  This  was  perhaps 
a  diamond,  or  possibly  a  pearl;  the  accounts  vary,  and 
the  same  word  is  often  used  to  designate  "precious  stone" 
and  "pearl."  The  following  version  represents  it  to  be 
a  diamond :  u 

R.  Simeon,  ben  Johanan  said :  "  A  diamond  was  hang- 
ing1 on  Abraham's  neck,  and  when  a  sick  man  looked  upon 
it  he  was  cured.  And  when  Abraham  passed  away,  the 
Lord  sealed  it  in  the  planet  of  the  sun." 

The  Hindus  believed  that  it  was  extremely  dangerous 
to  use  diamonds  of  inferior  quality  for  curative  purposes, 
as  they  would  not  only  fail  to  remedy  the  disease  for 
which  they  were  prescribed,  but  might  cause  lameness, 

8  Lapidario  del  Rey  T).  Alfonso  X,  Oodice  Original,  Madrid,  1881, 

f.  3d. 

10 1(  l)e  lapwlilwfl,"  Fribur^i,  1531,  f.  8. 

"Nmv  edition  of  the  Babylonian  Talmud,  cd.  and  trans,  by 
Miclm^l  L.  Hodkinsoii,  vol.  v  (xiii),  Baba  Barat,  New  York,  1002,  p. 
53.  See  also  Boor,  "  Lobon  Abraham's,"  Leipzig,  1859,  p.  79. 


378          CUKIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

jaundice,  pleurisy,  and  even  leprosy.  As  to  the  use  of 
diamonds  of  good  quality,  very  explicit  directions  are 
given.  On  some  day  regarded  as  auspicious  for  the 
operation,  the  stone  was  to  be  dipped  in  the  juice  of  the 
kantaJcdra  (Solanum  jaguiri)  and  subjected  for  a  whole 
night  to  the  heat  of  a  fire  made  by  dried  pieces  of  the 
dung  of  a  cow  or  of  a  buffalo.  In  the  morning  it  was  to 
be  immersed  in  cow's  urine  and  again  subjected  to  fire. 
These  processes  were  to  be  repeated  for  seven  days,  at 
the  end  of  which  term  the  diamond  could  be  regarded  as 
purified.  After  this  the  stone  was  to  be  buried  in  a  paste 
of  certain  leguminous  seeds  mixed  with  asafc&tida  and 
rock  salt.  Herein  it  was  to  be  heated  twenty-one  suc- 
cessive times,  when  it  would  be  reduced  to  ashes.  If 
these  ashes  were  then  dissolved  in  some  liquid,  the  potion 
would  "conduce  to  longevity,  general  development  of  the 
body,  strength,  energy,  beauty  of  complexion,  and  happi- 
ness," giving  an  adamantine  strength  to  the  limbs.12 

An  Austrian  nobleman,  who  for  a  long  time  had  not 
been  able  to  sleep  without  having  terrible  dreams,  was 
immediately  cured  by  wearing  a  small  diamond  set  in 
gold  on  his  arm,  so  that  the  stone  came  in  contact  with 
his  skin.13 

The  fact  that  in  this  case,  as  in  many  others,  the  stone 
was  required  to  touch  the  skin,  proves  that  the  effect 
supposed  to  be  produced  was  not  altogether  magical,  hut 
in  the  nature  of  a  physical  emanation  from  the  stone  to 
the  body  of  the  wearer. 

We  are  told  that  when  Pope  Clement  VII  was  seized 
by  his  last  illness,  in  1534,  his  physicians  resorted  to 

"Surindro  Mohun  Tagore,  "  Mani  Mala,"  Ft  I,  Calcutta 
pp.  137, 139, 141. 

M  Andrea  Spigello,  "De  semitert";  cited  in  Gimma,  «  Delia 
naturale  delle  gemme,"  Napoli,  1730,  voL  i,  p.  208. 


Ttyuno  fib  y  f,  n  .Unflinu  .  ?  ucmi 
M«MU  »>jto$Mttu  cdtte  >4tio  cotrrtv 
iVtcnia  .  Ai  \<  II  .  * 


-j  lomcntp 


;nv 


ii*  tU-MKnv  "hoii  ,  hiima  J. 
tn  «vlo:i  ntitv  Ulttvpicnx'..^  l 

^  niNtv  ti^mnC^i  ptvlan 
ct  tufkinc^  dV  bcttc-^tn  n 
intvttqua  mbAftL 


)^  u-  CfV  moUv  U*il<nini*t  '^  r«:t 


uc  lotto  ^i 

Ct"raiiu;iii  .7  uuulti  UjftllV 
c!.  '>n*mniMxiTnm  .in   t 


j,"  4  o  'p^  tt^'*1  ia*t'nitifc  91121  mftm 
t,  tin.  t»cmo^*intutllo  *i  uuolft 
IcKnix  tndv«7poztzi 
nilhn  ^  c\' 


im  ' 


tomnv  b 


.tlniu  t 


*  ttuotit 


<"     .11  atxnu  i-  pictia  H  ^ct  gtTinCv  i 
im 


^^l^u>nu  nutnoiia  ^7  ben  ncruv 


-.  >tmiUtnT»  inlitfo 


ucttvli  mn4ti« 

lib  U*  -?  u  ucttUc  co  Ci  Ac-  NUu  Itcwnc 


put  h:  |  i]lht 


n* 

*  Ctiiutw  -t  am*!  ^^f  KtiU  «C 

fblt  itiTtun4  ^  cft- 

Inaiu  »,»  -^  piM  ^*  UClTliIV- 

atna  tin  4.  nucttm  ^ 
ctic  umiciuv  ^[Tfiim  unite 
1tt>  ii0twilfitn»i  UtiituU"  I 
.14 


L  hcinc  * 

ti  ofi*:ci  molrc 

n>ma 

fi  |.v 

tTinlLt  ni4](h> 

IV  o>i*iUiii»,  Cuv  aHnr 


}>l 
Jin, 
lie  it  7  vmn  mot  ?  c 


I';n^iuul«'  pnp1;*'  of  Itnliun  vellum  iruuniHcnp 
11!  flu-  Futtrfi'ciiih  Century  in  uuthor'M  libniry. 
TrfuUn^  of  TojtHJ!,  Tuniuoirto,  Jacinth,  (Jurn 


_  i  ui«cUut  ^t*  U\tt 

i*i*  txUuntx  i^ibtC  o lrxkn^*tx*  ,i\C 
nopuo 

^~Mwl 

,  trcatiso  of  the  virtues  of  KOIHH.    Italian  MS. 
•t,  C'hjiloodony,  Itook-cry-stal,  Coral, 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OP  STONES  379 

powders  composed  of  various  precious  stones.  In  the 
space  of  fourteen  days  they  are  asserted  to  have  given 
the  pope  forty  thousand  ducats'  worth  of  these  stones, 
a  single  dose  costing  as  much  as  three  thousand  ducats. 
The  most  costly  remedy  of  all  was  a  diamond  adminis- 
tered to  him  at  Marseilles.  Unfortunately,  this  lavish 
expenditure  was  of  no  avail;  indeed,  according  to  our 
modern  science,  the  remedies  might  have  sufficed  to  end 
the  pope's  life,  without  the  help  of  his  disease.14 

The  old  fancy  that  the  diamond  grew  dark  in  the  pres- 
ence of  poison  is  explained  by  the  Italian  physician 
Gonelli  as  caused  by  minute  and  tenuous  particles  which 
emanated  from  the  poison,  impinged  upon  the  surface  of 
the  diamond,  and,  unable  to  penetrate  its  dense  mass, 
accumulated  on  the  surface,  thus  producing  a  superficial 
discoloration.  The  diamond,  being  a  cold  substance, 
may  have  condensed  moisture  from  the  body,  and  the  one 
suffering  from  the  poison  may  have  emitted  exudations. 
But  this  elaborate  explanation  of  a  phenomenon  which 
never  existed  except  in  the  imagination  of  those  who 
related  it  is  characteristic  of  Gonelli,  who  was  always 
ready  to  elucidate  in  some  similar  way  any  of  the  marvels 
recounted  in  regard  to  precious  stones.15 

Cmerata 

The  emerald  was  employed  as  an  antidote  for  poisons 
and  for  poisoned  wounds,  as  well  as  against  demoniacal 
possession.™  If  worn  on  the  neck  it  was  said  to  cure  the 

u  KauiM»r,  *L  llislorLsehes  Taschenbucli/7  I  Ser,?  vol.  vi,  Leipzig, 
1835,  p.  370. 

n. Joseph!  Uoneili,  "Thesaurus  plulosophicus,  sou  de  gemmis/7 
Neapoli,  1702,  pp,  76,  77. 

w  Lapidario  del  Key  0.  Alfonso  X,  Codice  Original,  Madrid,  1881, 
f .  xv. 


380          CUEIOUS  LORE  OP  PRECIOUS  STONES 

"semitertian"  fever  and  epilepsy.17  The  use  of  the 
emerald  to  rest  and  relieve  the  eye  is  the  only  remedial 
use  of  a  precious  stone  mentioned  by  Theophrastus  in  his 
treatise  on  gems,  written  in  the  third  century  B.C.  Allud- 
ing to  its  powers  as  an  antidote  for  poisons,  Rueus  as- 
serts 18  that  if  the  weight  of  eighty  barley-corns  of  its 
powder  were  given  to  one  dying  from  the  effects  of 
poison,  the  dose  would  save  his  life.  The  Arabs  prized 
emeralds  highly  for  this  purpose,  and  Abenzoar  states 
that,  having  once  taken  a  poisonous  herb,  he  placed  an 
emerald  in  his  mouth  and  applied  another  to  his  stomach, 
whereupon  he  was  entirely  cured.19 

A  certain  cure  for  dysentery  also  was  to  wear  an 
emerald  suspended  so  that  it  touched  the  abdomen  and 
to  place  another  emerald  in  the  mouth.  Michaele  Pas- 
chali,  a  learned  Spanish  physician  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, declared  that  he  had  effected  a  cure  of  the  disease 
by  means  of  the  emerald  in  the  case  of  Juan  de  Mendoza, 
a  Spanish  grandee,  and  Wolfgang  G-abelchover,  of  Calw, 
in  "Wiirtemberg,  writing  in  1603,  asserts  that  he  had  often 
tested  the  virtues  of  the  emerald  in  cases  of  dysentery 
and  with  invariable  success.20 

It  speaks  not  a  little  for  the  beauty  of  the  emerald  that 
so  good  a  judge  of  precious  stones  as  Pliny  should  have 
pronounced  this  gem  to  be  the  only  one  that  delighted  the 
eye  without  fatiguing  it,  adding  that  when  the  vision  was 
wearied  by  gazing  intently  at  other  objects,  it  gained 
renewed  strength  by  viewing  an  emerald.  So  general 
in  the  early  centuries  of  our  era  was  the  persuasion  that 

17  Marbodus,  1,  c.,  f.  48. 
"Rueus,!.  c.,  p.  36. 

^Morales,  "De  las  piedras  preciosas,"  Valladolid,  1604,  f.  101. 
90 Andreas  Bacei,  "De  gemmis  et  lapidibus  pretiosis,"  Franwfurti, 
1603,  pp.  63,  64  (annotation  of  Gabeleliover  to  his  Latin  version)* 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  381 

the  pure  green  hue  of  emeralds  aided  the  eyesight,  that 
gem  engravers  are  said  to  have  kept  some  of  them  on 
their  work-tables,  so  as  to  be  able  to  look  at  the  stones 
from  time  to  time  and  thus  relieve  the  eye-strain  caused 
by  close  application  to  their  delicate  task.21 

Pselhis  says  that  a  cataplasm  made  of  emeralds  was 
of  help  to  those  suffering  from  leprosy ;  he  adds  that  if 
pulverized  and  taken  in  water  they  would  check  hemor- 
rhages.22 They  were  especially  commended  for  use  as 
amulets  to  be  hung  on  the  necks  of  children,  as  they 
were  believed  to  ward  off  and  prevent  epilepsy.  If, 
however,  the  violence  of  the  disease  was  such  that  it 
could  not  be  overcome  by  the  stone,  the  latter  would 
break.23  Hermes  Trismegistus  says  the  emerald  cures 
ophthalmia  and  hemorrhages.  The  great  Hermes  must 
have  had  a  special  preference  for  this  stone,  since  his 
treatise  on  chemistry  (peri  chemeias]  is  said  to  have 
been  found  inscribed  on  an  emerald.24 

By  the  Hindu  physicians  of  the  thirteenth  century  the 
emerald  was  considered  to  "be  a  good  laxative.  It  cured 
dysentery,  diminished  the  secretion  of  bile,  and  stimu- 
lated the  appetite.  In  short,  it  promoted  bodily  health 
and  destroyed  demoniacal  influences.  In  the  curious 
phrase  of  the  school  the  emerald  was  "cold  and 
sweet."25 

Teifashi  (1242  A.D.)  believed  that  the  emerald  was  a 

"  Plinlit  "  Naturalis  historia,"  lib.  xxxvii,  cap.  16. 

33  Psollus,  "  Do  lapidum  virtutibus,"  Lug-.  Bat.7  1745,  p.  32. 

*Johaiinis  Braunii,  "De  Vestitu  sacerd.  Heb.,"  AmsteL,  1680, 
p.  659. 

a*From  an  old  book  the  title-page  of  which  reads:  "In  hoe 
volumine  do  Alchemia,"  etc.,  Norimberghe,  1541,  p.  363. 

"Oarba,  "Pie  inclische  Mineralien;  Naharari's  Rajanighantu, 
xiii,"  Leipzig,  1882,  p.  76. 


382          CUEIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

cure  for  haemoptysis  and  for  dysentery  if  it  were  worn 
over  the  liver  of  the  person  affected;  to  cure  gastric 
troubles,  the  stone  was  to  be  laid  upon  the  stomach. 
Furthermore,  the  wearer  was  protected  from  the  attacks 
of  venomous  creatures,  and  evil  spirits  were  driven  from 
the  place  where  emeralds  were  kept.20  The  direction  to 
place  the  stone  on  the  affected  part,  a  recommendation 
often  met  with  in  the  treatises  on  the  therapeutic  use  of 
ornamental  stones,  shows  that  these  were  believed  to  send 
forth  emanations  of  subtle  power.  Probably  enough,  the 
brilliant  play  of  reflected  light  which  proceeds  from 
many  of  these  gems  suggested  the  idea  that  they  radiated 
a  certain,  curative  energy.  This  theory  need  not  sur- 
prise us,  for,  although  it  is  altogether  fanciful  in  the  case 
of  the  diamond,  ruby,  emerald,  etc.,  the  newly  discovered 
substance,  radium,  really  possesses  the  active  properties 
ascribed  by  old  writers  to  precious  stones. 


A  stone  the  therapeutic  quality  of  which  was  special- 
ized is  the  jade  or  nephrite.  Strange  to  say,  although 
there  are  very  few  places  where  this  mineral  can  now 
be  obtained,  —  the  chief  sources  of  supply  being  the  prov- 
ince of  Khotan  in  Turkistan  and  New  Zealand,  —  in  pre- 
historic times  the  stone  must  have  been  found  In  many 
different  localities,  since  axe-heads  and  other  artefacts 
of  jade  have  been  discovered  in  many  lands  both  of  the 
old  and  new  world. 

When  the  Spaniards  discovered  and  explored  the 
southern  part  of  the  American  continent,  they  came 
across  numerous  native  ornaments  and  amulets  made  of 
jade  (jadeite)  and  brought  many  of  these  -with  them  to 

'•*  Teif  aslri,  "  Pior  di  pension,  sulle  pietre  preziose,"  ItaL  trans. 
by  Antonio  Rameri,  Firenzi,  1818,  p.  20. 


ON  THEEAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  383 

Europe.  The  name  jade  is  derived  from  the  Spanish 
designation,  piedra  de  hijada,  meaning  literally  "  stone 
of  the  flank/7  which  is  said  to  have  been  bestowed  on  the 
stone  because  the  Indians  used  it  for  all  diseases  of  the 
kidneys.  The  name  nephrite  owes  its  origin  to  the  same 
idea.  In  ancient  times  jade  appears  to  have  been  looked 
upon  as  a  great  aid  in  parturition,  and  many  ingenious 
conjectures  have  been  advanced  as  to  the  connection  be- 
tween this  belief  and  the  form  of  some  of  the  prehistoric 
objects  made  of  this  material.  Whether  the  Spaniards 
really  learned  from  the  Indians  that  the  stone  was  espe- 
cially adapted  to  cure  renal  diseases,  or  whether  they 
only  suggested  this  special  and  peculiar  virtue  in  order 
to  give  an  enhanced  value  to  their  jade  ornaments,  is  a 
question  not  easily  answered. 

An  early  notice  of  jade  as  a  remedial  agent  appears 
in  Sir  Walter  Baleigh's  account  of  his  travels  in  G-uiana. 
Treating  of  a  people  of  "Amazons"  said  to  dwell  in  the 
interior  of  the  country,  Kaleigh  says : 2T 

These  Amazones  have  likewise  great  store  of  these  plates  of  golde, 
which  they  recover  by  exchange,  chiefly  for  a  kinde  of  greene  stone, 
which  the  Spaniards  call  Piedras  Hijadas,  and  we  use  for  spleene 
stones  and  for  the  disease  of  the  stone  we  also  esteeme  them:  of  these 
I  saw  divers  in  Guiana,  and  commonly  every  King  or  Casique  hath 
one,  which  theire  wives  for  the  most  part  weare,  and  they  esteeme  them 
as  great  jewels. 

By  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  curative 
powers  of  jade  for  the  various  forms  of  calculi  was  very 
generally  admitted.  A  singular  instance  is  offered  us  in 
ono  of  Voiture's  letters.  He  was  a  great  sufferer  from 
"the  stone'7  and  he  had  received,  from  a  Mademoiselle 
Paulet,  a  beautiful  jade  bracelet.  Gratefully  acknowl- 

*  **  The  Discovery  of  the  Large,  Bich,  and  Beautif  ul  Empire  of 
Guiana*"  London,  1848,  p.  29,  Hakluyt  Pub.  Originally  published  in. 
1506. 


384          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

edging  the  receipt  of  this  peculiar  gift,  he  expresses  him- 
self in  the  following  frank  way,  a  mixture  of  indelicacy 
and  gallantry  that  seems  strange  to  us:  "If  the  stones 
you  have  given  me  do  not  break  mine,  they  will  at  least 
make  me  bear  my  sufferings  patiently;  and  it  seems  to 
me  that  I  ought  not  to  complain  of  my  colic,  since  it  has 
procured  me  this  happiness."  The  name  used  for  jade 
by  Voiture,  "Vejade"  supplied  a  missing  link  in  the 
derivation  of  our  name  jade  from  the  Spanish  hijada. 
When  the  lady's  gift  was  received  by  Voiture,  some 
friends  chanced  to  be  present,  and  they  were  disposed  to 
regard  it  as  a  token  of  love  until  he  assured  them  that  it 
was  only  a  remedy.  It  appears  that  Mile.  Paulet  was  a 
fellow  sufferer,  and,  alluding  to  this,  Voiture  writes: 
"On  this  occasion  the  jade  had  for  you  an  effect  you  did 
not  expect  from  it,  and  its  virtue  defended  your  own."  2* 
Eenal  calculi  and  poetry  do  not  seem  to  have  much  in 
common,  but  the  following  lines  freely  rendered  from 
an  old  Italian  poem  on  the  subject  by  Ciri  do  Pers  show 
that  even  this  unpromising  theme  is  susceptible  of  poetic 
treatment  :  20 

"Other  white  stones  serve  to  mark  happy  <lays, 
But  mine  do  mark  days  full  of  pain  and  gloom, 
To  build  a  palace,  or  a  temple  fair, 
Stones  should  be  used;  but  mine  do  serve 
To  wreck  the  fleshly  temple  of  my  soul. 


Well  do  I  know  that  Death  doth  whet  has 
Upon  these  stones,  and  that  the  marble  white 
That  grows  in  me  is  there  to  form  my  tomb." 

^Lettres  de  Voiture,  ed.  by  Octave  Uzannc,  Paris,  1SS1K  vul.  v. 
p.  66,  Letter  XXIII. 

20  Josephi  Gonnelli,  Thesaurus  philosophieus,  sou  <Io  ^t*nnniwjy  Kea- 
poli,  1702,  pp.  157,  158. 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OP  STONES  385 

As  jade  was  and  still  is  the  most  favored  stone  in 
China,  although  never  found  within  the  boundaries  of 
China  proper,  it  was  very  naturally  accorded  wonderful 
medical  virtues.  An  old  Chinese  encyclopedia,  the  work 
of  Li  She  Chan,  and  presented  by  him  to  the  emperor 
TVan  Lih  of  the  Ming  dynasty,  in  1596,  contains  many 
interesting  notices  of  jade.  "When  reduced  to  a  powder 
of  the  size  of  rice  grains  it  strengthened  the  lungs,  the 
heart,  and  the  vocal  organs,  and  prolonged  life,  more 
especially  if  gold  and  silver  were  added  to  the  jade 
powder.  Another,  and  certainly  a  pleasanter  way  of 
absorbing  this  precious  mineral,  was  to  drink  what  was 
enthusiastically  called  the  "divine  liquor  of  jade."  To 
concoct  this  elixir  equal  parts  of  jade,  rice,  and  dew- 
water  were  put  into  a  copper  pot  and  boiled,  the  result- 
ant liquid  being  carefully  filtered.  This  mixture  was 
said  to  strengthen  the  muscles  and  make  them  supple, 
to  harden  the  bones,  to  calm  the  mind,  to  enrich  the 
flesh,  and  to  purify  the  blood.  Whoever  took  it  for  a 
long  space  of  time  ceased  to  suffer  from  either  heat  or 
cold  and  no  longer  felt  either  hunger  or  thirst. 

Galen  (b.  ca.  130  A.D.)  wrote  thus  of  the  green 
jasper : w 

Some  have  testified  to  a  virtue  in  certain  stones,  and  this  is  true 
of  the  green  jasper,  that  is  to  say,  this  stone  aids  the  stomach  and 
navel  by  contact.  And  some,  therefore,  set  the  stone  in  rings  and 
engrave  on  it  a  dragon  surrounded  by  rays,  according  to  what  King 
Niu'hopsos  has  transmitted  to  posterity  in  the  fourteenth,  book  (of  Ms 
works).  Indeed,  I  myself  have  thoroughly  tested  this  stone,  for  I 
hung  a  necklace  composed  of  them  about  my  neck  so  that  they  touched 
tlio  navel,  and  I  received  not  less  benefit  from  them  than  I  would  had 
they  borne  the  engraving  of  which  Neehepsos  wrote. 

m  Clatulii  Galoni,  "  De  simplic.  medicament.,  etc.,"  lib.  ix,  cap.  19. 
"  Opera  Qnmia,"  cd.  C.  G.  Kiilm,  Lipsiao,  1826,  vol.  xii,  p.  207.    See 
also  DuiMd  Osborne,  "Engraved  Gems,"  New  York,  1912,  pp.  138, 139. 
25 


386          CUKIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 


Sanskrit  medical  literature  as  represented  by  Naha- 
rari,  a  physician  of  Cashmere,  who  wrote  in  the  thir- 
teenth century,  finds  in  the  ruby  a  valuable  remedy  for 
flatulency  and  biliousness.  Moreover,  aside  from  these 
special  uses,  an  elixir  of  great  potency  could  be  made 
from  rubies  by  those  who  properly  understood  the  em- 
ployment of  precious  stones  in  the  compounding  of  medi- 
cines.31 This  famous  "ruby  elixir"  may  have  had  little 
in  common  with  the  stone  except  its  color,  as  such  reme- 
dies were  generally  said  to  have  been  made  by  some 
secret  and  mysterious  process,  in  the  course  of  which  all 
material  evidence  of  the  presence  of  any  precious  stone 
or  stones  completely  disappeared. 


One  of  the  earliest  specimens  of  English  literature, 
William  Langley's  "  Vision  of  William  concerning  Piers 
the  Plowman"  (written  about  1377),  contains  a  mention 
of  the  sapphire  as  a  cure  for  disease  :  32 

I  looked  on  my  left  half  as  fee  lady  me  taughte 
And  was  war  of  a  woman  wortlieli  yedothed, 
Purfiled  with  pelure  M  £e  finest  vpon  erthe, 
Y-erowned  with  a  corone  i>e  kyng  hath  none  better. 
Petislich8*  hir  f  yngres  were  fretted  M  with  gold  tvyre, 

^Garbe,  "Die  indische  Mineralien";  Nahararfs  "  Hajanigkantu," 
Varga  XIII,  Leipzig,  1882,  p.  70. 

**  The  Vision  of  William  Concerning  Piers  the  Plowman,  by  Wil- 
liam Langley  (or  Langland).  Ed.  by  Eev.  Walter  W.  Skeat,  6xfordt 
1881,  p.  16.  Passus  II,  lines  8-15. 

**  Trimmed  with  fur. 

84  Handsomely. 

M  Adorned. 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  387 

And  >ere-on  red  rubyes  as  red  as  any  glede,85 

And  diamants  of  derrest  pris,  and  double  manere  safferes, 

Orientales  and  ewages 37  ennenyraes 38  to  destroye. 

Among  the  rich  gifts  offered  at  the  shrine  of  St. 
Erkinwald,  in  Old  Saint  Paul's,  was  a  sapphire  given  in 
1391  by  Eichard  Preston,  "a  citizen  and  grocer  of  Lon- 
don." He  stipulated  that  the  stone  should  be  kept  at 
the  shrine  for  the  cure  of  diseases  of  the  eyes,  and  that 
proclamation  should  be  made  of  its  remedial  virtues.  St. 
Erkinwald  was  the  son  of  Offa,  King  of  the  East  Saxons, 
and  was  converted  to  Christianity  by  Melittus,  the  first 
bishop  of  London.  In  675  A.D.  he  himself  became  bishop 
of  London,  being  the  third  to  attain  that  rank  after  the 
death  of  Melittus.  His  body  was  interred  in  the  cathe- 
dral, and  his  shrine,  which  was  richly  embellished  during 
the  reign  of  Edward  III  (1327-1377),  received  many 
valuable  donations.80 

The  usefulness  of  the  sapphire  as  an  eyestone  for  the 
removal  of  all  impurities  or  foreign  bodies  from  the  eye 
is  noted  by  Albertus  Magnus,  who  writes  that  he  had  seen 
it  employed  for  this  purpose.  He  adds  that  when  a  sap- 
phire was  used  in  this  way  it  should  be  dipped  in  cold 
water  both  before  and  after  the  operation.40  This  was 
probably  not  so  much  to  make  the  stone  colder  to  the 
touch  as  to  cleanse  it,  certainly  a  very  necessary  pro- 
ceeding when  the  same  stone  was  used  by  many  persons 
suffering  from  contagious  diseases  of  the  eyes. 

**  Burning  coal. 

37  Aquamarines. 

"*  Poisons. 

*  Dngdak,  "  History  of  Saint  Paul's  Cathedral  in  London/'  Lon- 
don, 1818,  vol.  i,  pp.  15,  1C.  First  edition  published  in  1658. 

40  Albert!  Ma#ni,  "  Opera  omnia,"  ed.  Bor#net,  Paris,  1890,  vol.  v, 
p.  44, 


388          CURIOUS  LOBE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

Bichard  Preston's  sapphire  appears  to  have  been 
only  one  of  a  class  regarded  as  having  special  virtue  to 
cure  diseased  eyes,  as  is  shown  by  the  existence  of  various 
other  similar  sapphires  in  different  parts  of  Europe.  It 
is  not  very  easy  to  determine  the  precise  reason — if  there 
be  one — which  rendered  any  single  sapphire  more  useful 
than  another  in  this  respect  An  entry  in  the  inventory 
of  Charles  V  notes  "an  oval  Oriental  sapphire  for  touch- 
ing the  eyes,  set  in  a  band  of  gold."41  Possibly  the  fact 
that  a  particular  gem  of  this  kind  was  used  remedially, 
and  was  not  set  for  wear  as  an  ornament,  may  have  been 
the  only  cause  for  a  belief  in  its  special  virtue. 

That  the  sapphire  should  have  been  regarded  as  espe- 
cially valuable  for  the  cure  of  eye  diseases  serves  to  illus- 
trate  the   wide-reaching    and    persistent    influence    of 
Egyptian    thought,    and    the    curious    transformations 
through  which  an  originally  reasonable  idea  may  pass  in 
the  course  of  time.     We  have  already  noted  that  the 
sapphire  of  the  ancients  was  our  lapis-lazuli,  and  in  the 
Ebers  Papyrus  lapis-lazuli  is  given  as  one  of  the  ingredi- 
ents of  an  eye-wash.    This  ingredient  is  believed  to  have 
originally  been  the  oxide  of  copper  sometimes  called 
lapis  Armenus,  a  material  possessing  marked  astringent 
properties,  and  which  might  be  used  to  advantage  in  cer- 
tain morbid  conditions  of  the  eye.    Lapis-lazuli,  another 
blue  stone,  was  later  substituted  because  of  its  greater 
intrinsic  value,  its  similarity  of  color  rendering  it  equally 
efficacious  according  to  primitive  ideas  on  this  subject* 
When,  however,  in  medieval  times,  the  name  sapphire 
came  to  signify  the  blue  corundum  gem  known  to  us  by 
this  designation,  the  special  curative  virtues  of  the  lapis- 
lazuli  were  transferred  to  this  still  more  valuable  stone, 

"Labarte,  "Inventaire  du  mobilier  de  Charles  V,"  Paris,   1879, 
p.  308,  No.  2937. 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  389 

The  proper  method  of  applying  a  sapphire  to  cure 
plague  boils  is  given  at  some  length  by  Von  Helmont.  A 
gem  of  a  fine,  deep  color  was  to  be  selected  and  rubbed 
gently  and  slowly  around  the  pestilential  tumor.  During 
and  immediately  after  this  operation,  the  patient  would 
feel  but  little  alleviation;  but  a  good  while  after  the  re- 
moval of  the  stone,  favorable  symptoms  would  appear, 
provided  the  malady  were  not  too  far  advanced.  This 
Von  Helmont  attributes  to  a  magnetic  force  in  the  sap- 
phire by  means  of  which  the  absent  gem  continued  to 
extract  "the  pestilential  virulency  and  contagious  poyson 
from  the  infected  part."  42 


The  use  of  a  topaz  to  cure  dimness  of  vision  is  strongly 
recommended  by  St.  Hildegard.  To  attain  the  desired 
end  the  stone  was  to  be  placed  in  wine  and  left  there  for 
three  days  and  three  nights.  "When  retiring  to  sleep,  the 
patient  should  rub  his  eyes  with  the  moistened  topaz,  so 
that  this  moisture  lightly  touched  the  eyeball.  After  the 
stone  had  been  removed,  the  wine  could  be  used  for  five 
days.43 

A  Koman  physician  of  the  fifteenth  century  was  re- 
puted to  have  wrought  many  wonderful  cures  of  those 
stricken  by  the  plague,  through  touching  the  plague  sores 
with  a  topaz  which  had  belonged  to  two  popes,  Clement 
VI  and  Gregory  II.  The  fact  that  this  particular  topaz 
had  been  in  the  hands  of  two  supreme  pontiffs  must  have 
added  much  to  the  faith  reposed  in  the  curative  powers 

**  "  A  Ternary  of  Paradoxes,  written  originally  by  Joh.  Bapt.  Van 
Hiilmont  and  translated,  illustrated,  and  amplieated  by  Walter  Charle- 
ton,"  London,  1650,  p.  17. 

**&  Hildegardae,  "Opera  crania,"  in  Pat.  Lat.  ed.  by  J.  P.  Migne, 
vol.  cxcvii,  Parisiis,  1855,  col.  1255. 


390          CURIOUS  LORE  OF  PRECIOUS  STONES 

of  the  stone  by  those  upon  whom  it  was  used,  and  this 
faith  may  really  have  helped  to  hasten  their  recovery.44 


A  historical  instance  of  the  use  of  the  bloodstone  to 
check  a  hemorrhage  is  recorded  in  the  case  of  Giorgio 
Vasari  (1514r-1578),  the  author  of  the  lives  of  the  Italian 
painters  of  the  Renaissance  period.  On  a  certain  occa- 
sion, when  the  painter  Luca  Signorelli  (1439-1521)  was 
placing  one  of  his  pictures  in  a  church  at  Arezzo,  Vasari, 
who  was  present,  was  seized  with  a  violent  hemorrhage 
and  fainted  away.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  Sig- 
norelli took  from  his  pocket  a  bloodstone  amulet  and 
slipped  it  down  between  Vasari  's  shoulder-blades.  The 
hemorrhage  is  said  to  have  ceased  immediately.45 

The  bloodstone  was  used  as  a  remedy  by  the  Indiana 
of  New  Spain,  and  Monardes  notes  that  they  often  cut 
the  material  into  the  shape  of  hearts.  This  seems  a  very 
appropriate  form  for  an  object  used  to  check  hemor- 
rhages. The  best  effect  was  attained  when  the  stone  was 
first  dipped  in  cold  water  and  then  held  by  the  patient 
in  his  right  hand.  Of  course  the  application  of  any  cold 
object  would  serve  to  congeal  the  blood,  but  the  connec- 
tion with  the  heart  vanishes  in  the  direction  to  place  the 
stone  in  the  right  hand.  Monardes  states  that  both  Span- 
iards and  Indians  used  the  bloodstone  in  this  way.46 

The  Franciscan  friar  Bernardino  de  Sahagun,  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  Mexican  Indians,  shortly  after  the  Spanish 
Conquest,  writes  that  in  1576  he  cured  many  natives  who 

**Arnobio,  "II  tesoro  delle  gioie,"  Venice,  1602,  p.  21. 
40  Bellucci,  "  II  f  etieismo  in  Italia/7  Perugia,  1907,  p.  91,  note, 
"Monardes,  Semplicinm  inedieamentoram  ex  novo  orbe  delatorum 
historia  (Latin  version  by  Clusius),  Antverpi®,  1579,  p.  51. 


-  -tiff PI* 

3ttj*g3l$>'3f* 

8p 


•iS^fiBlS** 

iifgi$f&!i 


B  ^ 

w  p 

H  O 

O  oo 


ON  THERAPEUTIC  USES  OF  STONES  391 

were  at  the  point  of  death  from  hemorrhage,  a  result  of 
the  plague,  by  causing  them  to  hold  in  the  hand  a  piece 
of  bloodstone.  By  this  means  he  claims  to  have  saved 
many  lives. 47 

Eobert  Boyle,  in  his  "Essay  about  the  Origin  and 
Virtues  of  Gems  "  (London,  1672,  pp.  177-78),  tells  of 
a  gentleman  of  his  acquaintance  who  was  "of  a  complex- 
ion extraordinary  sanguin,"  and  was  much  afflicted  with 
bleeding  of  the  nose.  A  gentlewoman  sent  to  him  a  blood- 
stone, directing  him  to  wear  it  suspended  from  his  neck, 
and  from  the  time  he  put  it  on  he  was  no  longer  troubled 
with  his  malady.  It  recurred,  however,  if  he  removed 
the  stone.  When  Boyle  objected  that  this  might  be  a 
result  of  imagination,  his  friend  disposed  of  his  objec- 
tion by  relating  the  instance  of  a  woman  to  whom  the 
stone  had  been  applied  when  she  was  unconscious  from 
loss  of  blood.  Nevertheless,  as  soon  as  it  touched  her, 
the  flow  of  blood  was  checked.  Boyle  states  that  this 
stone  did  not  seem  to  him  to  resemble  a  true  bloodstone. 
Tt  may  have  been  that  the  cold  of  the  stone  congealed 
the  blood,  or  that  the  flow  was  checked  by  exhaustion. 

4T  Salmon,  "  Ilistoria  general  cle  las  cosas  de  Nueva  Espana,  vol.  iii. 
Mexico,  1830,  pp.  300,  301;  lib.  ad,  cap.  viii. 


Snbex 


Aaron,  102,  277,  300,  310,  318 
Abdul  Hamid,  Sultan,  139 
Abraham,  diamond  of,  377 

luminous  stones  in  his  city,  161, 

276 
Abrasax  (Abraxas),  126-130 

meaning  of  name,  127 
Acrostics  expressed  with  stones,  359- 

362 
Adamas  (diamond?),  39,  95,  157,  163 

of  high-priest,  278 

Adam's  Peak,  Ceylon,  gems  from,  75 
Adelbert,  St.,  164 
Aelian,  161 
^Btites,  34 
Agalmatolite,  48 
Agate,  51-54,  132,  236,  237,  265,  296, 

305,  336 

amulets  in  the  Soudan,  54 
amulets  of,  cut  in  Idar  and  Ober- 

atein,  54 

banded,  39,  233,  296 
coral,  for  an  air-ship,  53 
eye-agates  and  "Aleppo  Stones," 
"  39,  149,  150 
gem  of  Gemini,  346 
of  Mercury,  350 
of  Venus,  349 
in  breastplate,  276 
with  veinings  figuring  diadem,  267 
Agathareules,  66 
Agrirola,  Georgiua,  141 
Agrippa,  Cornt'IiuH,  181,  335,  336 
Alihimah,  stone  of  breastplate,  297 
Air-ship,  with  coral  agate,  52,  53 
AlnhorfUT,  :*f>,  3t> 
Alarlr,  2S.H 
"Albert,"  "Lc  Grand,"  "Le  Petit," 

troatisfH  on  Htones,  18 
A!H<*rttiH  MagmiH,  7,  17,  68,  77,  78, 

I  W,  ;$S7 
Attrifv.  4S 
"Al**ppoSfonos,"  149 

hoi!,  149 

Al<w»nl<*r  the  Orwit,  68,  96,  125 
AK\'»n<if*r  H  of  UuHsia,  54 
rin,  W5,  1*20,  130 
rito,  &lt  55 


Alexandrite,  cat;s-eye,  334 
Alfonso  X, "  Lapidario ;;  of,  63, 348, 376 
Alford,  Henry,  304 
Allanite,  from  Virginia,  366 
Almandine  garnet,  37,  59,  293 
Amazonite,  from  Maine,  365 
Amber,  34,  55-58 

in  deposits  of  Stone  Age,  55,  57 

in  Mycenae,  57 

origin  of,  55,  56 

therapeutic  effect  of,  372 

with  initials  naturally  marked, 

57,58 
Amboin,  62 
American  Museum  of  Nat.  Hist.,  vi, 

vii,  219,  234,  249,  254 
Amethyst,  37, 119,  134,  145,  237,  243, 
244,  297,  303,  305,  336 

as  antidote  to  drunkenness,  58, 
371 

as  symbol  of  St.  Matthias,  313 

gem  of  Jupiter,  348 
of  Pisces,  345 

in  breastplate,  276 

legend  of,  58,  59 

ring  of  St.  Valentine,  257 

symbolism  of,  269 
Amulets,  Alexandrian,  125-129 

Assyrian,  of  seven  stones,  230 

attraction  of  astral  influence  to, 
340 

Burmese,  266 

canon  on,  at  Council  of  Laodicea, 
42 

Chinese,  of  five  stones,  40 

directions  for  preparing,  39 

Egyptian,  38,  226-229 

etymology  of  word,  22 

for  heart,  227-229 

for  horses,  130 

Gnostic,  125-129 

in  Austro-Pruasian  War,  25 

in  Russo-Japanese  War,  25 

Japanese,  called  7nagatama1  265 

Jewish,  43 

of  five  stones,  poncharatna,  241 

of  nine  stones,  naoratna,  241, 
242-245 

origin  of,  19-24 

sailors',  38,  39 

393 


394 


INDEX 


Amulets,  with  head  of  Alexander  the 

Great,  131 
Amymone,  image  of,  in  emerald,  139, 

140 

Andalusite,  47 
Andreas,    bishop    of    Caesarea,    on 

apostles1  stones,  311,  313 
Andromeda,  image  of,  on  gem,  140 
Angels,  275 

guardian  of  the  months,  326-332 

guardian,    stones  dedicated   to, 
339,  340 

nine  orders  of,  314 

twelve,  303 

twelve  guardian,  322 
"Anne  of  Geierstein  "  and  the  opal,  143 
Anthrax  (carbuncle)^  162 
Apocalyptic  gems,  significance  of,  305 
Apollonius  of  Tyana,  seven  rings  of, 

244 
Apostles,  lists  of  the  twelve,  304 

stones  of,  303-306 
Aquamarine  (beryl),  299,  320 

therapeutic  effect  of,  387 
Aquarius,  zodiacal  sign  of,  345,  353 
Aquinas,  St.  Thomas,  17 
Aragonite,  251 

Aries,  zodiacal  sign,  341,  342,  345, 353 
Aristotle,  pseudo-,  160,  163 
Arsinoe,  wife  of  Ptolemy  II,  67,  93 
Artemisia  vulgar  is,  212 
Artemidorus,  356,  357 
Ashmole,  Elias,  167 
Assher,  289,  300 
Asteria,  106,  107 
Astral  stones,  321,  338^363 

fixed  stars  controlling,  351,  352 

images  of  constellations  on,  352- 
355 

influence  of  stars  on,  338,  339 
Athene  of  Phidias,  107 
Aubrey,  John,  196 
Augustine,  St.,  126,  282 
Augustus,  342 
Auto-suggestion,  3 
Aventurine,  48 
Axinite,  48 

Azchalias  of  Babylon,  80 
"Azoth"  of  Paracelsus,  6 
Azur-malachite,  from  Arizona,  364 

B 

Babylonian  axe-head,  233,  234 

cylinders,  121-123,  204 
Bacchus  and  Amethyst,  58,  59 


Baccio,  Andrea,  158 

Bacon,  Roger,  1S2,  1S3 

Baelz,  Dr.  Envin,  265 

Bajazefc  II,  154 

Balas-ruby,  64,  349 

Ball,  Dr.  Valentine,  76 

Baltic  Coast,  amber  of  the,  56 

Bareketh,  stone    of  breastplate,  291, 

292 

Barium  sulphate,  9 
Bartolomaius  Anglicus,   91,  94,   104, 

150 

Basalt,  227 
Basilides,  126,  129 
Basilidian  gems,  126-130 
Batman,  Stephen,  150 
Bela  IV  of  Hungary,  emerald  in  ring 

of,  77,  78 

Belgium,  jet  in  cave  deposits  of,  92 
Belisarius,  2S3_ 
Belucci  collection  of  worked  jade  at 

Perugia,  264 

Belucci,  Prof.  Giuseppe,  vii 
Benitoite,  from  California,  364 
Benjamin,  289,  297 
Benoni,  Rabbi,  72 

Berenice,  mother  of  Ptolemy  II,  67 
Berlin  Museum,  36 
Berthelot,  Pierre  Eugene  Mara-Hin. 

174 

Beryl,  39,  59,  60,  119,  133,  134,  234, 
236,  237,  299,  303,  305,  313, 
320,  336 

as  symbol  of  St.  Thomas,  312 

gem  of  the  moon,  MS 
of  Scorpio,  347 

in  breastplate,  276 
Bes,  god,  image  of,  36 
Bezoar,  340 

Birth-stones,  see  NcUnl  ftfanf* 
Black,  Christian  symbolism  of,  273 

in  occult  ritual,  &it> 

symbolinm  of,  32 

Black  opal  of  New  South  Wito,  !f>2 
Blake,  W.  W.t  vii 
Bleasington,  Countess  of,  vcr#e&  on 

opal,  143 
Bloodstone,  133 

causing  temptwts,  00 

checking  hemorrhacx^  2H 

figuring  blood  of  Canst*  267 

gem  of  Aries,  345 

in  Leyclen  papvruf,  f»l 

therapeutic  effect  of,  370,  390. 

391 
Blue,  Christian  symbolism  of,  2/3 


INDEX 


395 


Blue,  gems  in  dreams,  357 
significance  of,  31 
silver,  worn  in  Siam  for  Friday; 

dark  for  Saturday,  335 
Bologna  stone,  168 
Bonderoy,  Jean  de  la  Taille  de,  5 
Book  of  the  Dead,  38,  86,  225,  227, 

228,  229,  290,  297 
Book  of  Wings,  RagieFs,  132 
Boot,  Anselmus  de,  56,  65,  106,  109, 

110,  271 

Borgia,  Card.  Stefano,  234 
Borneo,  breeding  pearls  in,  42 
Boyle,  Robert,  169,  170,  171,  391 
Braddock,  Dr.  Charles,  vii 
Breastplate  of  high-priest,  16,  120, 

231,  307,  308,  309,  310,  319 

stones  of,  275-302 

names  of,  in  ancient  lists,  301 

probable  modern  names  of,  301 
Breastplate  of  Judgment,  16 
Buddha,  238 
Buddhabhatta,  71,  73 
Budge,  Dr.  Ernest  A.  Wallis,  vii, 

227 

Burgh,  Hubert  de,  44 
Burke,  Capt.  John  G.,  202 
Burma,  amulets  of,  266 
Burton,   Sir  Richard  Francis,   star- 
sapphire  of,  106 


Caesar,  Julius,  341 
CaglioHtro  (Giuseppe  Balsamo),  198 
Cairo  Museum,  38,  201,  297 
Calamine,  religious  use  of,  271,  272 
Caleuluw,  renal,  curious  poem  on,  384 
California   Midwinter   Mem,   Mus., 

iSan  Francisco,  vi 
Californite,  323 
Collate,  108 

Cancer,  zodiacal  sign,  346,  354 
Canrobert,  Marshal,  laith  in  amulets, 

25 

Cantnnpre",  Thomas  de,  17,  59 
Capricorn,  zodiacal  sign,  342,  347 
Carbuncle,  33,  39,  145,  162,  168,  174, 
243,  292,  305,  343,  357,  372 

as  symbol  of  Christ's  sacrifice,  61 

brought  by  serpent,  62 

gem  of  Venus,  348 

In  breastplate,  276 
Carcinia,  34 

Cardano,  Girolamo,  52,  70,  78,  83, 
08,  151,  160,  264 


Carnelian,  6,  36,  37,  119,  124,  133, 
226,  227,  229,  265,  290,  291, 
319 

Arabic  inscription  on,  63 
engraved   with  zodiacal    signs, 

341 

figures  engraved  in,  by  Israel- 
ites, 120 
gem  of  Virgo,  346 

of  the  Sun  and  Venus,  348 
Goethe's  praise  of,  62 
identified    with    octem-stone    of 

breastplate,  120 
Mohammed's  seal-ring  of,  64 
Napoleon's  seal  of,  64 
Oriental  use  against  envy,  63 
therapeutic  effect  of,  370 
Carrington,  Hereward,  vii 
Catherine  de7  Medici,  girdle  of,  set 

with  talismanic  stones,  317 
Cat's-eye,  65,  238,  242,  243,  244 
alexandrite,  334 
chrysoberyl,  333 
quartz,  334 

Cellini,  Benvenuto,  154 
Celonite,  134 
Ceraunia,  34, 134, 162 
Cernowitz,  Hungary,  opals  of,  148 
Cethel,  140 

Ceylon,  54,  65,  75,  165,  252,  324 
Chalazia  (rock-crystal),  34 
Chalcedony,  39,  65,  122,   134,  265, 

303,  305,  313,  372 
as  symbol  of  St.  Andrew,  312 
gem  of  Capricorn,  347 
Chalchiuhatlj     "  water     of    precious 

stones,"  in  Aztec,  40 
Chakhiuitl  (jadeite?),  247,  251 
Charles  I  of  England,  262 
Charles  V  of  France,  388 
Charles  V  of  Germany  and  the  tur- 
quoise, 24 

Charles  XII  of  Sweden,  57 
Chau  Ju-Kua,  165 
Chaucer,  Geoffrey,  43 
Chelonites,  34 

Chiastolite  (made)  as  religious  sym- 
bol, 270 

therapeutic  effect  of,  270 
Childeric,  crystal  ball  of,  219-221 
Chinese  amulets,  40,  84-87 
Chin  T'sang  Km",  of  loadstone,  95 
Chirocrates,  93 

Chlorastrolite,  from  Minnesota,  365 
Chlorophane,  luminescence  of,  172, 
173 


396 


INDEX 


Christ,  blood  of,  figured  in  blood- 
stone, 267 
colors  symbolical  of  his  sacrifice, 

274 
foundation   stones   symbols    of, 

313 
head    of,    naturally    figured    in 

quartz,  267,  268 
natural  images  of,  in  stones,  266, 

267,  268,  269 

sacrifice  of,  symbolized  by  ame- 
thyst, 269 

Chromium  oxide,  10 
Chrysoberyl,  54,  65,  313 

cat's-eye,  333 
Chrysolampis,  164 

Chrysolite,  29,  133,  291,  297,  303,  305 
as  symbol  of  St.  Bartholomew, 

312 

from  the  "Serpent  Isle,"  66 
gem  of  Libra,  346 
of  the  Sun,  347 
in  Cologne  Cathedral,  66 
statue  of  Arsinoe  in,  67 
Chrysoprase,  11,  37,  67, 265,  303, 305, 

313,  316,  319 

as  symbol  of  St.  Thaddeus,  312 
of  Alexander  the  Great,  68 
Chrysostom,  John,  125 
Cicero,  his  daughter's  emerald,  31 
Claudian,  94 

Clavijo,  Ruy  Gonzalez;  de,  266 
Cleandro,  Arnobio,  165,  372 
Clemens  Alexandrinus,  309 
Clement  VI,  389 
Clement  VII,  342,  378 
Clerc,  Dr.  G.  0.,  vii 
Cock,  the,  on  amulets,  137 
Cologne,  chrysolites  in  cathedral  of,  66 
Color,  Christian  symbolism  of,  273, 

274 
of  gems  and  vestments  for  each 

day  of  the  week  in  Siam,  335 
symbolism  of,  29-33 
therapeutic  effect  of,  27-29,  33, 

370 

Confucius  and  musical  jade,  87 
Consecration  of  precious  stones,  44, 

45 

Constantine,  King  of  Greece,  star- 
sapphire  in  sword-hilt  of,  334 
Constantine  the  Great,  136,  286,  373 
Constellations,    symbols   of,    in   en- 
graved gems,  352-355 
Coral,  40,  68,  69,  236,  237,  238,  242, 
243,  244,  245,  246 


Coral,  gem  of  Venus,  348 

red,   superstition  in   regard   to, 

explained,  160,  161 
therapeutic  effect  of,  372 
Cornelius  a  Lapide  (Van  den  Steen). 

280 

Corundum,  39,  252,  344,  372 
Council  of  Laodicea,  canon  on  amu- 
lets, 42 

Countries,  gem  of,  363,  364 
Crocidolite  (Krokidolite),  360 
Cronstedt,  Axel  Frederic,  271 
Crookes,  Sir  William,  172 
Cross,  monpgrammatic,  136 

of  Christ,  found  by  St.  Helena, 

286 

Crusades,  66 
Crux  ansata,  135 
Crystal    ball,    called    "  Currahmore 

Crystal/'  223 
from  Madagascar,  217 
in  Grtine  Gewdlbe,  Dresden, 

223 

in  sepulchres,  219-222 
Japanese,  217,  2 IS 
of  Childeric,  219-221 
Crystal  gazing.  176-224 
Ctesiphon,  sack  of,  284,  2S5 
"Currahmore  Crystal,"  223 
Cyanite,  49 
CyanuSj  119 
Cylinders,  Assyro-Babylonian,    121- 

123,  204 

"Cyrianides,"    Greek    treatise   on 
stones,  16 


Damigeron,  15,  90, 104,  132,  140,  141 
Damour,  A.,  vii 
Dan,  289,  297 

Days  of  the  week,  ritual  p;ems  worn 
in  occult  ceremony,  336 
gems  of  the,  332,  £33 
Dee,  Dr.  John,  189-196 
Delhi,  79 
Demantoid,  49 
Dendrite,  360 

Diamond,  10,  28,  32,  69-76,  234,  230, 
239,  240,  241,  242,  243,  269 
280,  281,  294,  344,  34B,  375 
as  natal  stone,  308,  320 
breeding,  41,  72 
combustion  of,  71 
"Diamond  Throne,"  238 
elmeshu  in  Assyrian  (?},  231 


INDEX 


397 


Diamond,  gem  of  reconciliation,  70 
of  Taurus,  347 
of  the  Sun,  349 
of  Winter,  323,  326,  327 
in  breastplate,  276 
medicinal  use  of,  153 
names  of  Hindu  castes  given  to, 

71,  73 

paleness  sign  of  infidelity,  157 
Sanskrit  names  of,  343 
secured  by  birds,  75,  176 
symbolism  of,  235 
talismanic  effect  of  various  shapes 

of,  154 

Talmudic  legend  of,  74 
therapeutic  effect  of,  386-389 
used  as  poison,  Bajazet  II,  Para- 
celsus,   Cellini,    Sir    Thomas 
Overbury,  154-156 
"Diamond  Throne,"  238 
Diana  and  Amethyst,  59 
Diaspore,  47 

Didius  Julianus,  Emperor,  178 
Diodorus,  Bishop  of  Tyre,  16 
Diodorus  Siculus,  66,  298 
Dionysius  Periegetes,  298 
Dioptase,  gem  of  the  Congo,  363 
Djoskoridcs,  Greek  gem-engraver,  342 
Disease  in  precious  stones,  5 
Dolce  Ludovico,  18 
Domitian,  341 
Donnerkril,  162 
Draper,  Mrs.  Henry,  vii 
Dreams,  books  of,  ancient,  356,  357 
meaning  of  precious  stones  seen 
in,  356-358 

E 

Ebers  Papyrus,  367,  368,  388 

Echites,  34 

Edda,  146 

Edward  III  of  England,  387 

Edward  VI  of  England,  98 

Kgrnund  Abbey,  luminous  stone  of,  164 

Elsuolitc,  47 

Klcctrum,  37,  295 

Elizabeth,  Queen  of  England,  150, 
ISO,  374 

Elizabeth,  St.,  268 

luminous  stone  in  shrine  of,  165 
ring  of,  165 

Emerald,  28,  34,  68,  76-79,  90,  132, 
145,  234,  236,  237,  238,  240, 
242,  280,  293,  303,  305,  313, 
336,  349,  372 


Emerald  as  burnt  offering,  255 
as  symbol  of  St.  John,  312 
blinding  of  serpent  by,  158 
engraved,  of  Ismenias,  139,  140 
gem  of  Cancer,  346 
of  Jupiter,  348 
of  Spring,  323,  324 
in  breastplate,  276 
in  Revelation,  304 
luminous,  in  tomb  of  Hermias, 

167 

of  Isabella  da  Este,  31 
of  Mt.  Zabara,  Nubia,  292,  324 
of  Otho  I  of  Germany,  260 
of  Tullia,  31 
one  adored  by  ancient  Peruvians, 

247,  248 
(supposed)  cup  in  Genoa,  258, 

259 
therapeutic  effect  of,  370,  375, 

379-382 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  24 
Engraved  gems  as  talismans,  115-142 
Envy,     Oriental    use    of    carnelian 

against,  63 

Ephod  of  high-priest,  276,  277 
Ephraim,  288,  289 
Epidote,  360 
Epiphanius,  St.,  16,  67, 157,  278,  295, 

311,  313 
Epitaphs   illustrating  symbolism    of 

gems,  272, 273 
Erasmus,  Desiderius,  34 
Eridanus,  56 
Essonite,  359 
Euclase,  47 
Euphrates,  68 
Europa,  33 
Eusebius,  373 
Evax,  15,  59 
Evil  Eye,  39,  42,  54,  72,  106, 107,  137, 

138,  139, 148, 150 
Eye-agates,  39, 149,  150 
Ezekiel,  231,  275,  314 


Farrington,  Dr.  Oliver  C.,  vii 
Fay,  Mons  du,  170,  171 
Feavearyear,  A.  W.,  vii 
Feits'ui  (Imperial  jade),  83,  85 
Feldspar,  229,  292 
Ferez,  Dr,  Paul,  33 
Fetichism,  19,  20,  37 
Field  Museum  of  Natural  History, 
Chicago,  vi,  51,  66 


398 


INDEX 


Fire-opal,  47 

Flint,  Dr.  Earle,  86 

Fluorescence,  169-174 

Fluorspar,  9,  67 

Foundation  stones,  307, 310-314,  316, 

317 
associated  with  apostles,  303-306 

with  Twelve  Tribes,  314 
Fowlerite,  from  New  Jersey,  365 
Francis  I  of  France,  342 
Friedrich  Wilhelm  I  of  Prussia,  57 

G 

Gabelchover,  Wolfgang,  158,  380 
Gad,  289,  299 
Gadolinite,  49 
Gagates,  49 
Galactides,  49 
Galen,  300,  376,  385 
Galopetrce,  Cretan  seals,  123 
Garcias  ab  Orta,  153,  166,  167 
Garnets,  265,  316 

almandine,  37,  59,  293 

as  bullets,  33 

engraved,  133 

gem  of  Aquarius,  345 

therapeutic  effect  of,  370 
Gem-city  of  Dwaraka,  236 

of  Kusavati,  236 

described  by  Lucian,  237 
Gemini,  zodiacal  sign,  346,  354,  355 
"Gemma  Augustea"  of  Vienna  Col- 
lection, 342 
Genlis,  Mme.  de,  of  "Le  Saphixe  Mer- 

veilleux,"  105 
George  V  of  England,  288 
Geranites,  34 
Gesner,  Conrad,  252,  259 
Gesta  Romanorum,  35 
Gimma,  Giacinto,  29 
Glanvil,  Joseph,  197 
Gnostic  gems,  126-130 
Goethe,  Wolfgang  von,  62,  187 
Gomara,  Francisco  Lopez  de,  254 
Gonelli,  Giuseppe,  65,  379 
Gonzaga  da  Este,  Isabella,  emerald 

of,  31 

Goodrich-Freer,  Miss,  208,  209 
Gratacap,  Dr.  L.  P.,  vii 
Green,  Christian  symbolism  of,  273 

curative  effects  of,  28 

gems  in  dreams,  357 

significance  of,  31,  226,  227 
stones,  therapeutic  effect  of,  370 
worn  in  Siam  for  Thursday,  335 


Green,  Miss  Belle  Da  Costa,  vii 
Gregory  II,  389 
Grossularite,  47 
Gyges,  ring  of,  7 
Gypsum,  10,  79,  SO 

"lucky  stones'7  of,  SO 

H 

Han-yil,  or  "mouth  jade/'  86 

Hardouin,  Jean,  128 

Harlequin-opal,  49 

Hauffe,  Frederike,  9 

Hecate,  image  of,  in  amulet,  40 

Hector,  30 

Hei-tiki  of  New  Zealand,  87-90 

Helena,  St.,  286 

Heliades,  55 

Heliodor,  49 

Heliotrope,  47 

Helmont,  Von,  389 

Hematite,  6,  38,  SO,  81,   122,  218, 
227 

Henrietta  Maria,  262 

Henry  III  of  England,  44 

Henry  II  of  Franco,  160 

Heouen  Tsang,  238 

Heraclius,  280 

Hermes  TrismegistuH,  16,  381 

Hiddenite,    from    North    Carolina, 
365 

Hilda,  St.,  Abbess  of  Whitby,  263 

Hildegard,  St.,  70,  82,  3Stt 

"Hind    Horn    and    Maid  Rimnilti " 
ballad,  1,50,  157  « 

Hirth,  Dr.  Frederick,  vii 

"History  of  Jewels/'  old  gem-trea- 
tise, 17 

Hoernes,  Dr.  Moriz,  55,  135 

Hollenzwang  of  Dr.  Faust  iw, 

Homer's  Odyssey,  amber 

57 
Iliad,  two  of  rod,  30 

Horsey,  Sir  Jerome,  374 

Horus,  eye  of,  as  scarab,  117 

Hours  of  the  day,  gems  of  the,  337 

Hudibras,  350 

Human  sacrifice,  3-5 

Huntilite,  49 

Hyacinth,  BQQ  jacinth 

Hyades,  343 
Hyde,  Major,  113 
Hydrolite,  from  Oregon,  365 
Hydromantii)  ISO 
Hypersthene,  49 
Hypnotism,  7,  8,  II,  33 


INDEX 


399 


Iceland  spar,  9 

Idar,  Germany,  gem-cutting  at,  54 

Idocrase,  359 

Images,  natural,  in  stones,  266-269 

Imperial  Academy,  Moscow,  142 

Indersoen,  Norway,  amber  from,  57 

Indicolite,  360 

Initials  of  names  figured  by  precious 

stones,  47-50 
lolite,  359 
Iris,  124,  130,  132,  226,  234 

image  signifying  blood  of,  120 
stone,  133 
Isaiah,  305 
Ishtar,  jewels  of,  231 
Isidorus  of  Seville,  59 
Israel,  twelve  tribes  of,  276,  278,  282, 

288,  289,  305,  314 
Issachar,  289,  294 
Italian  MS.,  14th  cent.,  70,  77,  134 
Ivan  the  Terrible  and  his  curative 

stones,  374,  375 
Ivory,  37 


Jacinth  (hyacinth),  29,  81-83,  234, 
242,  243,  295,  296,  303,  305, 
316,  319,  344,  349,  375 

as  symbol  of  St.  Simon  Zelotes, 
313 

electuary  of,  372 

gem  of  Jupiter,  348 
of  Mars,  348 

to  dissolve  magic  spells,  82 

to  induce  sleep,  83 

Jade,  68,  83-90,  122,  236,  248-254, 
265,  294,  300 

called,  with  other  green  stones, 
ckalchihuitl  by  Mexicans,  251 

Chinese  amulets  of,  83,  84 

Chinese  vase  of,  described,  239, 
240 

derivation  of  name,  383 

form  of  Chinese  character  for, 
83 

hei-likis  of  New  Zealand,  87-90 

large    mass    of,    from  Jordans- 
rauhl,  Silesia,  250 

objects  of  in  Chinese  emperor's 
collection,  245 

of  New  Zealand,  382 

talismans   of,    among    Moham- 
medans. 246 

therapeutic  uae  of,  239,  381-384 


Jade,  where  found  in  New  and  Old 

World,  249-251 
adze,    known    as    the    "Kunz 

Adze,"  248,  249,  252 
Jadeite,  247,  249-252,  300,  382 
cross  made  from  celt  of,  264 
objects  of,  at  Perugia,  264 
Jagganath,   image   of  with  eyes  of 

precious  stones,  240 
James  I  of  England,  155 
Jamestown  Exposition,  1907,  vi 
J&mi,  lines  in  crystal  mirror,  182 
Jargoon,  see  jacinth 
Jasper,  6,  38,  90,  91,  122,  133,  135, 
226,  227,  229,  252,  265,  291, 
294,  298,  300,  302,  303,  305, 
313,  319,  372 

as  symbol  of  St.  Peter,  311 
gem  of  Libra,  346 
green,    engraved   with   zodiacal 

symbols,  342 
in  breastplate,  276 
of  King  Nechepsus,  385 
Jerome,  St.,  100,  307,  310 
Jessen,  Dr.  Peter,  vii 
Jet,  39,  91,  92 

in  burials  of  Pueblo  Bonito,  92 
in  palaeolithic  remains,  91 
of  Whitby,  263,  264 
John,  St.,  275,  303,  311 
Jordansmiihl,    Silesia,    largest    mass 

of  European  jade  found  at,  250 
Joseph,  288,  289,  295 
Josephus,  Flavius,  277,  278,  283,  285, 
290,  291,  292,  294,  295,  296,  297, 
301,  307,  309,  310 
Juba,  66 
Judah,  289,  293 

Junpt,  Marshal,  and  the  emerald,  262 
Jupiter,  god,  341 

planet,  32,  33,  243,  336,  348,  353, 

354,  355,  372 
Justinian.  283 


Kaldoun,  Ibn,  181 

Kalpa  Sutra,  238 

Kazwini,  Al,  74 

Khusrau  II,  284 

King,  Rev.  C.  W.,  '283,  342 

Knopf,  253 

Konrad  of  Megenberg,  17,  45,  141 

Koran,  111,  275 

Fourth  Heaven  of  carbuncle  in 
the,  61,  349 


400 


INDEX 


Korea,  national  emblem  of,  265 
Krishna,  241 
Kunzite,  171,  323 


Labradorite,  360 
Labrets,  252-254 
Lane,  E.  W.,  experiments  in  crystal 

gazing,  205 

Lang,  Andrew,  180,  181,  210 
Lapidaries,  gods  of,  in  ancient  Mex- 
ico, 255 

Lapidario,  of  Alfonso  X,  63,  348,  376 
of  Marbodus  (in  French),  15 
of  Philippe  de  Valois,  102 
of  Sir  John  Mandeville,  71,  72, 

103,  109 

Lapis  Armenus,  388 
Lapis  crucifer  (staurolite),  271 
Lapis-lazuli,  36,  37,  38,  92,  93,  226, 
227,  228,  229,  230,  245,  294, 
319,  336 

gem  of  Venus,  348 
image  of  Ma  (Truth)  of,  119, 122, 

229  293 

therapeutic  effect  of,  370,  388 
Lapis  nephriticus  (nephrite),  264 
Laufer,  Dr.  Berthold,  vii 
Leczinska,  Marie,  320 
L&ishmania  tropica,  149 
Lenormant,  Francois,  233 
Leo,  zodiacal  sign,  29,  341,  346,  354 
Leonardo,  Camillo,  18,  51,  58,  132 
Leopold  I  of  Germany,  221 
Lepidolite,  48 

Leshem,  stone  of  breastplate,  295, 296 
Levi,  288,  289,  292 
Leyden  papyrus,  praise  of  bloodstone 

in,  61 
Libra,  zodiacal  sign,  212,  346,  354, 

355 

Life  in  precious  stones,  5 
Ligure,  in  breastplate,  276,  295,  319 
"Lithica,"  poem  on  gems,  51,  90,  94, 

163,  178 

Litteromancy,  16 
Llewellyn,  King  of  Wales,  44 
Loadstone,  10;  81,  93-97,  134 

court  decision  in  regard  to,  96 
statue  of  Arsinoe  to  be  held  sus- 
pended by,  93 
statue  of  Venus  of,  94 
symbolical  names  for,  95 
used  as  charm  by  Alexander  the 
Great,  96 


Loadstone,  where  first  found,  93 

Lodge,  Sir  Oliver,  214,  215 

Lorenzo  del  Escorial,  San,  monastery 

of,  gems  in,  263 

Lorraine,  northern,  jet  from,  92 
Loreto,  Santa  Cana  di,  174,  262,  267 
Los  Cerrillos,  N.  M.,  turquoise  from. 

Ill,  112 
Louis  XIV.  221 
Luca  ben  Costa,  291 
Lucian,  177,  237 
"Lucky    stones"     (gypsum),    from 

Niagara  Falls,  SO 
Luminous  stones,  101,  174 

in  Abraham's  city,  161,  276 
of  Astarte,  163 
of  Egmund  Abbey,  164 
of  Emperor  Manuel's  throne, 

166 

of  Henri  II  of  France,  166 
of  King  of  Siam,  62 
of    Noah  in    the   Ark,    161, 

276 

of  St.  Elizabeth's  shrine,  165 
tale  of,  by  Aelian,  161,  162 
"Lunar-stone,"  168 
Luther,  Martin,  294 

tale  of  amulet  vendor  by,  45,  46 
Lychnits  or  lychnitis  (a  spinel?).  162, 

163,  357 

Lydian  stone,  163 
Lyncurius,  56,  295 

M 

Macon,   Ga.,   court  decision   about 
loadstone,  96 

Maeterlinck,  Mine.,  70 

Magatama  amulets  of  Japanese,  205 

Magical  influences  of  atones,  3>  5,  6, 
7,  42 

Magncs,  reputed  discoverer  of  load- 
stone, 93 

Magnet  Cove,  Ark,,  Ioad«tom»  from, 
96 

Maltaratnani,  five  chief  gems  of  the 
naoratna,  242 

Malachite,  8,  37,  290 

as  a  child's  amulet,  07 
to  protect  from  Evil  Eye,  137 
to  protect  from  falls,  07 
mines  of,  97 

Manassah,  288,  289 

Mandeville,  Sir  John,  71,    72,  103, 
jLv/y 

Manuel,  Emperor,  throne  of,  166 


INDEX 


401 


Marbodus,  15,  51,  59,  70,  104,  164, 

377 

Marguerite  de  Valois,  5 
Mars,  the  god,  81,  94,  140,  341 

planet,  187,  243,  338,  348,  352, 

353,  354,  355 

Martial,  St.,  jeweled  gloves  of,  257 
Matrix-emerald,  226,  227 
Medusa,  head  of,  on  talisman,  124 
Meleager,  56 

Mendes,  Mme.  Catulle,  26 
Mentzel,  Christian,  168 
Mercury,  the  god,  257,  341 

planet,  123,  242,  348,  352,  353, 

354,  355 
typical  of  green,  31 

Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  86, 130, 

342 

Meyer,  Dr.  A.  B.,  viii 
Meyers,  J.  L.,  292,  299 
"Mexican  onyx,"  251 
Meyer,  Prof.  A.  B.,  250 
Michael,  St.,  257 
Microcline,  50 
Mithridates  the  Great,  80 
Mizauld,  Antoine,  98,  166 
Mohammed's  carnelian  seal-ring,  64 
Moldavite,  360 
Monardes,  390 

Montfaucon,  Bernard  de,  220 
Month,  Hindu  list  of  gems  of  the,  331 

natal  stones  of  the,  326-333 
Moonstone,  8,  320,  334 
as  gift  for  lovers,  98 
in  India,  97 
waxing  and  waning  with  moon, 

98 

Morales,  343 

Morgan,  J.  Pierpont,  vi,  254 
Morgan  Collection,  Am.  Mus.  Nat. 

Hist.  N.  Y.,  vi,  66 
Morgan-Tiffany  Collection,  Am.  Mus. 

Nat.  Hist,,  106,  233 
Morganite,  8ein  of  Madagascar,  364 
Moryson,  Fyncs,  Gent,,  174 
MoBor,  Consul  General,  vii 
Moses,  278,  280,  286 
MosN-iigatc,  48 
Mttllor,  Max,  269 

Multan,  India,  idol  of  temple  at,  240 
Mutttfe  d'Histoire  Naturelle,  Paris,  vi 
Mother-of-pearl,  therapeutic  use  of 

239 

Myewia*,  amber  at,  57 
gemw  from,  204 


N 

Naharari,  on  gems,  386 
Names,  initials  of,  figured  by  prec- 
ious stones,  47-50 
Naoratna,  nine-gem  jewel.  231,  241, 

242-245 

names  of,  in  various  tongues,  244 
occult  use  of  gems  in,  244 
Naphtali,  298 

Napoleon's  carnelian  seal,  64 
Napoleon  I,  64,  260,  309 
Napoleon  III,  64,  142 
Natal  stones,  vi,  1,  307-337 

list  of,  from  various  sources, 

315 
proposed  new  listing  of,  317- 

321 

selected  from  precious  stones 
produced  in  the  United 
States,  323 

National  Museum,  Washington,  vi 
Natrolite,  50 

Navajos,   rain-making  gods  'of  the, 

adorned  with  coral  and  turquoise,  246 

Neandross,    Sigurd,    Maori    warrior 

by,  254 

Nebo,  god,  image  on  cylinder,  123 
Necklace,  Egyptian,  36-38 

of  Vesta,  235 
Nephrite,  see  jade 
Nephrilfrage,  viii,  249 
Neptune,  god,  341 
New  Jerusalem,  236,  275,  302-306 
foundation  -stones  of,  307, 

310-314,  316,  317 

New  South  Wales,  black  opal  of,  152 
New  Zealand  jade,  87-90 
Nicandcr,  93 
Nicias,  56 

Nicols,  Thomas,  7,  142 
Ninib,  god,  image  on  seal,  35 
Noah,   luminous   stones   of,   in   the 

Ark,  161,  276 

Nodes,  ascending  and  descending,  243 
Nonius,  opal  of,  144-146  ' 
Nopkek,  atone  of  breastplate,  292 
Nordenskjold,     Baron     Nils     Adolf 

Erik,  54 

Novaculite,  from  Arkansas,  364 
Nuttall,  Mrs.  Zelia,  86 


Oberstcin,  Germany,  gem-cutting  at, 

54,  218,  219 
Obsidian,  mirror  of  Dr.  Dee,  196 


402 


INDEX 


Obsidian,  Mexican  mirrors  of,  204 

Oculus  Beli,  107 

Oculus  mundi,  107 

Odem,  stone  of  breastplate,  290,  291 

Ominous  gems,  143-161 

Oneirocritica  (dream-books),  356 

Onyx,  233,  265,  336 

gem  of  Leo,  346 

ill-effects  neutralized  by  sard,  107 

in  breastplate,  276 

"  Mexican  onyx/'  251 

of  St.  Elizabeth's  tomb,  267 

ominous  quality  of,  159 

provoked  discord,  98 

"Tecalco  onyx,'J  252 
Opal,  143-152 

black,  of  New  South  Wales,  152 

Cardanus,  151 

fear  of  the,t21 

Hungarian, '145,  146,148 

imitation  of,  145 

in  Scott's  "Anne  of  Geierstein," 
143 

in  Shakespeare's  Twelfth  Night, 
150 

natural,  figuring  serpent,  27 

October's  gem,  144 

of  Nonius,  144-146 

patronus  furum,    or   patron   of 
thieves,  148 

Pliny's  praise  of,  145 
Ophiokiolus,  39 

Ophthalmius-stone  (opal?),  7, 146, 148 
Opsianus,  39 

Orphanus-stone  (opal?)  146-148 
Orthoclase,  50 

Otho  I  of  Germany,  emerald  of,  260 
Overbury,  Sir  Thomas,  155,  156 


Pancharatna,  five-gem  jewel,  241 
Paracelsus,  Philippus  Aureolus,  6, 154, 

184,185 

Patrick,  St.,  179 
Pausanms,  177 
"Peacock  stonee,"  137 
Pearls,  69,  230,  234,  236,  237,  238, 
240,  241,  242,  244,  303,  306, 
320,  336 
breeding,  41 
gem  of  the  moon,  348,  349 

of  Venus,  348 
therapeutic  effect  of,  372 
Pellegrmus,  Fulvius,  31 
Pepper,  George  H.,  92,  112,  113 


Pericles,  373 

Peridot,  see  chrysolite 

Perugia,  collection  of  jade  artefacts 

at,  264 
Peter,  St.,  303,  308 

tooth-relic  of,  set  with  gems,  256 
Petrie,  W.  M.  Flinders,  291,  292 
Phaethon,  55 
"Pharaoh's  eggs,"  SO 
Phenacite,  from  Colorado,  365 
Phenomenal  gems,  8,  333,  334 
Philip  II,  of  Spain,  263 
Philippe  Egalite,   Duke  of  Orleans, 

sapphire  of,  106 
Philostratus,  244 
Phosphorescence,  169-174 
"Piers  the  Plowman/'  curative  gems 

in,  386 

Pisces,  zodiacal  sign,  345 
Pitdah,  stone  of  breastplate,  291 
Planetary  gems,  244,  338-363 

controls  of,  in  Lapidario  of 

Alfonso  X,  348 
of  various  planets,  348-351 
Planets  figured  on  engraved  gema, 

355,  356 

Plasma,  green,  252 
Plato,  93 
Pleiades,  343 

Pliny,  13, 66,  67,  80,  92, 100,  108, 128, 
143,  162,  167,  290,  291,  293,  296. 
367,  380 

Plutarch,  30,  373 
Porphyry,  38 

Porta,  Giovanni  Battista,  335 
Portland.  Oregon,  Exposition,  vl 
Poujet  fils,  316 
"Prase"  of  Alexander,  68 
Precious  stones,  as  adornment  of  god- 
dess Sri,  239 

as  eyes  of  idols,  107,  240 
as  offerings  to  Hindu  god**, 

240,  241 
as  symbols  of  the  Apoatle^, 

311-314 

as  symbols  of  various  coun- 
tries, 363,  364 
collected  by  birds,  21 

by  aeala,  22 
consecration  of,  45 
disease  in,  5 

for  hours  of  tin*  day,  337 
for  natal  months  ;teti-331 
for  week  day**,  332-335 
for  wedding  anniversaries* 
337 


INDEX 


403 


Precious  stones,  individuality  of,  26 
in  high-priest's  breastplate, 

235-306 
life  in,  5 

magical  virtue  of,  5-8, 44,  45 
meaning  of,  seen  in  dreams, 

356-358 
names  of,  used  as  adjectives, 

12,  13 

used  by  Shelley,  13 
used  in  typography,  12 
of   Mohammedan   heavens, 

349 

perfume  of,  376 
principal,  found  in  various 
States  of  the  Union,  364- 
366 

religious  use  of,  235-274 
sex  of,  40,  41,  42 
symbolizing  initials  of  names 

47-50 
therapeutic  effect  of.  367- 

391 

to  express  acrostics,  359 
worn  by^  Chinese  mandarins 

to  designate  rank,  256 
Prehnite,  365 
Preston,  Richard,   curative  sapphire 

of,  387,  388 

Price,  Prof.  Ira  Maurice,  233 
Procopius,  283 
Psellus,  381 

Ptolemy  II,  Philadelphus,  67,  93 
Pueblo  Bonito,  relics  from,  81,  92, 

112,  113 

Pueblo  Indians,  81,  92,  112 
Punamu,  New  Zealand  jade,  87-90, 

254 

Puranaa,  236,  241 
PyritoH.  Aztec  mirrors  of,  99 

"fools' gold,"  99 
Pyropc,  34 

Q 

Quartz,  122,  145,  298 

cai's-eye,  334 

"  Questions  of  King  Melinda,"  ex- 
tract from,  235 

R 

Rabanus  Maurus,  305,  314T 

Rabelais,  349 

Radium,  381 

Rtih'igh,  Sir  Walter,  383 

Rassiel,  Book  of,  132 


Read,  Sir  Charles  Hercules,  vii 
Red,  Christian  symbolism  of,  273 
gems  in  dreams,  357 
in  occult  ritual,  336 
significance  of,  30 
stones,  therapeutic  effect  of,  370 
worn  in  Siam  for  Sunday,  335 
Sea,  chrysolites  from  island  in,  66 
Reinach,  Dr.  Salomon,  vii 
RSmusat,  Abel,  300 
Reuben,  289,  291 
Revelation,  book  of,  236,  275,  295, 

302,  303,  304,  307,  310,  311,  318 
Rhodolite,  from  North  Carolina,  365 
Rhodonite,  gem  of  Russia,  364 
Ridgeley,  Prof.  W.,  203 
Rig  Veda,  of  seven  ratnas,  243 
Ring  of  elmeshu-stone,  231 

engagement,  combining  all  fav- 
orable influences,  362 
Gyges,  7 

St.  Elizabeth,  165 

St.  Valentine,  257 

Rings  set  with  scarabs,  119 

seven,  of  Apollonms  of  Tyana,  244 
with  initials,  359 
Rock-crystal,  10,  122,  133,  217,  236, 

244,  265,  292,  336 
as  religious  symbol,  100 
Aztec  skull  of,  100,  101 
gem  of  Aries,  347 

of  the  moon,  348 
god  Maya's  tank  of,  237 
humorous  tale  of,  101 
temples  of,  in  China,  101 
used  as  fetich  by  Cherokees,  254 
"Roman  de  la  Rose,"  magic  stones 

in,  43 

Rosicrucians,  269 
Rostand,  Edmond,  138 
Rubellite,  360 

Ruby,  10,  26,  33,  40,  101-103,  124, 

133,  234,  236,  238,  240,  241, 

242,  243,  244,  280,  292,  343, 

372,  375,  381 

as  natal  stone,  308,  316, 319,  320, 

335 

curative  effects  of,  28 
embedded  in  flesh  by  Burmese, 

103 

gem  of  Capricorn.  347 
of  Mars,  348,  349 
of  Summer,  323,  324 
of  Taurus,  343,  347 
in  dreams,  357 
lost  and  regained  brilliancy,  159 


404: 


INDEX 


Ruby,  luminosity  of,  101,  102 

luminous,  of  King  of  Ceylon,  165, 

166 

of  Pegu,  165 
of  St.  Elizabeth,  165 
names  of  Hindu  castes  given  to, 

102 

ominous,  of  Gabelchover,  158 
therapeutic  effect  of,  370 
Rudolph  II  of  Germany,  5,  189,  343 
Rumphius,  Georg  Eberhard,  62 
Ruskin,  John,  on  crystals,  46 
Rutile,  50 


"Sacro  Bambino"  of  Rome,  260,  261 
"Sacro  Catino"  of  Genoa,  258,  259 
Sagittarius,  zodiacal  sign,  342, 347, 354 
Sahagun,  Bernardino  de,  247, 251, 390 
Sailors7  amulets,  38 
Salisbury,  John  of,  183 
Sapphire,  31,  32,  40,  102,  104-107, 
124,  133,  236,  241,  242,  243, 
244,  245,  280,  293,  296,  303, 
305,  313,  320,  336,  375 
as  antidote  for  poisons,  104, 105 
as  symbol  of  St.  Paul,  312 
called  "Le  Saphire  Merveilleux," 

105 

gem  of  Autumn,  323,  325 
of  Jupiter,  348 
of  Saturn,  349 
of  Taurus,  346 
of  Venus,  348 

great  star-sapphire  of  Morgan- 
Tiffany  collection,  107 
in  breastplate,  276 
in  ecclesiastical  rings,  104,  371 
named  from  Hindu  castes,  344 
pavement  of  God's  throne,  275 
procures  favor  of  Saturn,  344 
Sanskrit  names  of,  344 
star-sapphire    of    Sir    Richard 

Burton,  106 

tables  of  the  Law  of.  104 
therapeutic  effect  of,  370,  386- 

389 

Sappir,  stone  of  breastplate,  293 
Sard,  107,  305 

as  symbol  of  St.  Philip,  312 
a  foundation  stone,  303  •! 
in  breastplate,  276,  290 
Sardonyx,  290,  292,  303,  305,  313, 

319,  320 
as  symbol  of  St.  James,  312 


Saturn,  planet,  32,  243,  330,  344,  348, 

352,  353,  354,  355 
Saxo  Arnoldus,  59 
Scaraboeus  sac&r,  115,  116 
Scaraboid  seal,  122 
Scarabs,  Egyptian,  115-119,  132,  140, 

227,  228,  229 
Schliemann,  Heinrich,  57 
Scorpio,  zodiacal  sign,  340,  342,  347, 

352,  355 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  143,  1S3 
Seals,  Babylonian,  121-123 
Cretan,  123 

one  of  Napoleon,  64,  142 
Seasonal  gems,  323,  324 
"Seeress  of  Prevorst,"  9 
Selenite,  336,  349 
Sendal,  Nathaniel,  57,  58 
Sentiment,  8,  9 

for  each  day  of  week,  332-335 
for  each  month   in   connection 

with  natal  gems,  32ti-33Z 
Septuagint,  290,  291,  297,  208,  301 
Serapis,  image  of,  in  talisman,  124 
"Serpent  Isle,"  66 
Serpentine,  108,  121,  122,  229,  252, 

291,  298 

Sex  in  gems,  40,  41,  42,  72 
Shakespeare  in  "Twelfth  Night"  of 

opal,  150 

Shamash,  Assyrian  sun-god,  233 
Shamir  (emery),  278,  294 
Sheard,  Virna,  12 
Shebo,  stone  of  breastplate,  296 
Shelley,  Percy  Byssho,  13 
Siam,  King  of,  luminouw  carbuncles 

of,  62 

Siegstein,  or  "Victory  Stone/'  IDtJ 
Signorelli,  Luca,  390 
Simeon,  289,  291 
Sin,  Assyrian  moon -god,  02 
Sindbad  the  Sailor  and  diamonds.  75 
"Sleeping-stone/'  !B3>  104 
Bmaragdus  (em  oral  d),  21)1 
Sodalito,  gem  of  Canada,  3ft3 
Solomon,  King,  preeknw  Htonen  of,  78 
Sophia,  St.,  in  Constantinople,  200, 

283 

Sophocles,  56 

Soudan,  agate  amuletn  in  the,  54 
Sources,  literary,  13-18 
Spartianus,  178 
Specularii,  183,  184 
"Speculum    lapidum"    of    Camillo 

Leonardo,  IB 
Spener,  John  Jacob,  159 


INDEX 


405 


Spessartite,  from  Virginia.  366 
Sphalerite,  171 
Spinel,  10,  102 

therapeutic  effect  of,  370 
Spodumene,  48 
Star-ruby.  334 
Star-sapphire,  8.  106,  107 

in  sword-hilt  of  King  of  Greece, 

334 

Staurolite  Fairy  Stones,  plate 
Staurolitc,  religious  symbolism  of,  271 
Steatite,  265 
Stone  Age,  amber  in  deposits  of,  55 

idols  of,  23 

11  Stone  of  Destiny,"  107 
"S tone  of  Forgetfulness ,"  35 
"Stone  of  Hate,"  35 
"Stone  of  Love,"  35 
"Stone  of  Memory,"  35 
"Stones    of    Power"     in    Scottish 

regalia,  183 

Stones  with  natural  images,  266-269 
titorchstein,  162 
Suetonius,  341 
Sumerian  magic  formula,  35 
Sunstone,  366 
Superstition,  v,  1-5,  8,  9 
Swastika  emblem,  135,  265 
Sylvester,  St.,  stone,  258 
Sympathy  and   antipathy,   doctrine 
of,  24 


Tabari,  286 

Tagoro,  Rajah  Sir  Sourindro  Mohun, 

via 
Takowaya,  Russia,  alexandrite  found 

in  the,  54 

Taliamanic  gems,  1,  42,  52,  124,  322 
gircile  of  Catharine  de'Medici 

set  with,  317 
of  the  hours,  337 
of  the  months,  326-331 
of  the  week,  332,  333 
Talismans,  etymology  of  word,  23 
from  New  Caledonia,  23 
of  jade  favored  by  Mohamme- 
dan*, 246 

sec  arnukt,  and  separate  stones 
tcmplft  gifts  as,  241 
Talmud,  71,  73,  275,  306,  377 
Tamerlane,  ruthloaaness  of,  32 
TarMsh,  stone  of  breastplate,   297, 

298 

Taurus,  zodiacal  sign,  341,  342,  343, 
346,  353,  354 


Tavernier,  Jean  Baptiste,  260 
Taw  Sien  Ko,  vii 
"Tecalcoonyx,"  252 
Teifashi,  Ahmed,  75,  104,  158,  381 
Tempe,  Arizona,  turquoise  in  ruins 

of  Los  Muertos  near,  112 
Tetragrammaton,  182 
Thayngen,  Switzerland,  jet  of,  91 
Theophrastus,  290,  293,  299,  370 
Thomas,  N.  W.,  180 
Thomsonite,  365 
Thoth,  16 

Thothmes  II,  talisman  of,  120 
Tiberius,  342 
Tiffany,  Charles  L.,  172 
Tiffany  &  Co.,  172 
Tiffany  Collection,  106,  219 
Titus,  283,  289 

Topaz,  40,  133,  238,  242,  243,  244, 
245,  291,  297,  298,  303,  305, 
313,  344 

as  symbol  of  St.  Matthew,  312 

gem  of  Sagittarius,  347 

in  breastplate,  275 

therapeutic  effect  of,  372,  389 
Topazos,  island  of,  67 
Totten,  Lieut.,  on  Hebrew  tribes,  288 
Tourmaline,  320,  321 

gem  of  New  England,  364 
Trees  bearing  precious  stones,  232 

Kalpa  tree,  238 
Trevisa,  John  of,  105 
Triboluminescence,  173 
Tritheim,  Abbot,  181 
Trocade"ro,  Paris,  99 
Tullia,  daughter  of  Cicero,  emerald 

of,  31 

Turquoise,  6,  37,  64,  108-114,  336, 
345,  375 

Apache  name  for,  113 

as  natal  stone,  308,  320 

De  Boot's  tale  of  a,  109,  110 

fading  of,  indicating  illness,  24, 
26,  114 

from  Los  Cerillos,  N.  M.,  Ill 

from  Pueblo  Bonito,  N.  M.,  112, 
113 

from  Los  Muertos,  Arizona,  112 

gem  of  Jupiter,  348 

Persians'  praise  of,  111 

protecting  from  falls,  24,  26,  109, 
110 

strikes  the  hour,  111 

talisinanic  virtues  of,  114 

usually  worn  by  men  in  17th 
century,  111 


406 


INDEX 


Turquoise  with  Aztecs,  247 

with  Navajos,  246 
Tyszkiewicz  Collection,  234 

U 

Umina,  emerald  goddess  of  Peruvians, 

247,  248 
United  States,  principal  gem-stones 

found  in  various  States  of  the,  364- 

366 
Uparatnani,  four  minor  gems  of  the 

naoratna,  243 
Urim  and  Thummim,  231,  277,  282, 

283,  287 
Utahlite,  361 


Vajra,  "the  thunderbolt,"  Sanskrit 

name  of  diamond,  239,  343 
Valentine,  St.,  ring  of,  257 
"Valley  of  Diamonds,"  74,  75 
Varro,  22 
Vasari,  390 
Venus,   goddess,   emerald  dedicated 

to,  28 
planet,  243,  336,  344,  348,  352, 

353,  354,  355 
represented  by  blue,  31 
Verrall,  Mrs.  A.  W.,  211 
Vespasian,  283 

Vesta,  necklace  of,  taken  by  Serena,  235 
Vesuvianite,  50 
"Victory  Stone, "68 
Violet,  Christian  symbolism  of,  273 

symbolism  of,  32 

Violet-blue,  curative  effects  of,  33 
Virgin  Mary,  30,  130,  175,  261,  262, 

266,  267,  268,  273 
rich  decorations  of  statue  of, 

at  Loreto,  262,  263 
Virgen  del  Sagrario,  Toledo,  emerald 

of,  261,  262 

Virgo,  zodiacal  sign,  341,  346 
Vishnu,  236,  241 
Voiture,  his  letter  on  curative  use  of 

jade,  383,  384 

Volmar,  "Steinbuch"  of,  67, 109, 373 
Vulgate,  290,  291,  292,  301 


W 

Wada,  Dr.  T.,  vii 

Walker,  T.  B.,  254 

Walpole,  Horace,  195 

Ward,  Dr.  W.  Hayes,  vii 

Wedding  anniversaries,  gems  for,  337 

Wenceslaus,  St.,  supposed  emerald  in 

chapel  of,  259 
Whitby  Abbey,  263 
White,  Christian  symbolism  of,  273 

significance  of,  30 

worn  in  Siam,  for  Monday,  335 
"White  sapphire"  (corundum),  72 
Wiedemann,  Dr.  Alfred,  121 
Willemite,  171 
Wissler,  Dr.  Clark,  vii 
Witherite,  9,  10 
Wood-opal,  50 
World's   Columbian   Exhibition,  vi, 

51 

Wright,  Thomas,  221 
Wiirtemberg,  jet  deposits  of,  91 


Yahalom,  stone   of  breastplate,  294, 

295 

Yarkast&in,  146 

Yaskpeh,  stone  of  breaHtplate,  29D 
Yellow,  Christian  symbolism  of,  273 

curative  effects  of,  28 

girdle  worn  by  Chinese  emperors, 
245 

in  occult  ritual,  336 

significance  of,  29 

stones,  therapeutic  effect  of,  370 


Zebulun,  289,  295 

Zeehariah,  294 

Zenochlorite,  360 

Zircon  (hyacinth),  238 

Zodiacal  gems,  1,  124,  Lll,  310,  321» 

322,  3&H-$t>3 
stones  of  the  various  mgarf, 

345-347 
Zodiacal  signs  tuwncuittti  with   th«» 

IVrlve  Tribes.  J>14 
c,f,  in  Hebrew,  332